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Beatrice Chebet: How Sifan Hassan inspired my record-breaking 2024 season

Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet has opened up about how Dutch woman Sifan Hassan motivated her history-making season in 2024.

Beatrice Chebet has opened up about drawing her inspiration from Sifan Hassan, a move that has enabled her to break barriers and make history this season.

The double Olympic champion pointed out that two-time Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri has also been a vital part of her career growth but Hassan has stood out for her this season. Chebet explained that Hassan, the reigning Olympic marathon champion, is never afraid of making bold moves and she is a source of motivation to the Kenyan distance sensation.

At the Paris Olympic Games, Hassan competed in the women’s 5000m, 10,000m and marathon and she claimed bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m and a gold in the marathon, a feat that has never been achieved in the history of the Olympic Games.

“Hellen Obiri has always been a role model to me but for now, I’ll talk about Sifan Hassan. She is a lady who believes in herself and when she says that she will go for something, then she will pursue it, be it the 1500m or the marathon. Sifan has always motivated me and she gives me the confidence that I can do it,” Chebet said.

At the Olympic Games, Chebet claimed the gold medal in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m. It was a historic feat as no woman has ever won double gold over the two distances on the Olympic stage and she was also the first woman to win gold over the 25-lap race.

She explained that going into the Olympics, she wanted to do something unique since she had yet to win a gold medal at the World Championships. Chebet added that after winning the 5000m, the toughest of the two races, she knew the 10,000m would not be difficult.

After the Olympics, Chebet still had it in her as she went on to win the Diamond League Meeting in Zurich before claiming the Diamond League trophy in Brussels.

“This season has been great, especially going to the Olympics as a debutant and winning two gold medals. I can say it was not easy but I had to remain focused and believe in myself. When I entered the 10,000m race, I just wanted to win a medal but making history motivated me to go for a gold medal,” Chebet said.

“I had been to the World Championships but never won a medal and I wanted to do something great in Paris. The 5000m was the hardest event and going into the 10,000m, I knew I could do it. After the Olympics, I had to believe in myself and since I was the Olympic champion, I knew I had to do it,” she added.

Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet reveals when she will fully transition to road racing

Chebet, who won gold medals in both the 5000 and 10,000 meter races at te Paris Olympics, has revealed when she is going to fully transition into marathon racing.

Fresh off her dominating performance in Zurich, where she marked her return to action with a win in the 5000 meters, double Paris 2024 Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet has disclosed when she plans to fully transition into marathon running. 

Chebet, who has had a stellar year, has been eyeing the marathon as her next frontier after conquering the track.

Chebet’s 2024 season has been nothing short of extraordinary. She claimed gold in both the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympic Games, cementing her status as one of the premier long-distance runners of her generation. 

Earlier in May, Chebet also broke the world record in the 10,000 meters, clocking an impressive 28:54.14 in Eugene, Oregon. Her dominance extended to the road as well, where she set a world record in the 5-kilometer road race in Barcelona with a time of 14:13.

However, the 5000-meter world record, held by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at 14:00.21, remains elusive for Chebet. She attempted to break the record at the Zurich Diamond League but fell nine seconds short under challenging rainy conditions. Despite the near miss, Chebet's eyes are firmly set on new goals, particularly in road racing and eventually marathon running—a natural progression for the long-distance star.

In a recent interview, Chebet revealed her long-term plans, stating that she is taking a gradual approach to marathon running, drawing inspiration from fellow Kenyan marathon legends like Hellen Obiri and Vivian Cheruiyot.

“We are going slowly. Everything now has its own time so we have to go gradually until we reach the marathon,” Chebet told Citius Mag.

Chebet, who won gold medals in both the 5000 and 10,000 meter races at te Paris Olympics, has revealed when she is going to fully transition into marathon racing.

Fresh off her dominating performance in Zurich, where she marked her return to action with a win in the 5000 meters, double Paris 2024 Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet has disclosed when she plans to fully transition into marathon running. 

Chebet, who has had a stellar year, has been eyeing the marathon as her next frontier after conquering the track.

Chebet’s 2024 season has been nothing short of extraordinary. She claimed gold in both the 5000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Paris Olympic Games, cementing her status as one of the premier long-distance runners of her generation. 

Earlier in May, Chebet also broke the world record in the 10,000 meters, clocking an impressive 28:54.14 in Eugene, Oregon. Her dominance extended to the road as well, where she set a world record in the 5-kilometer road race in Barcelona with a time of 14:13.

However, the 5000-meter world record, held by Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay at 14:00.21, remains elusive for Chebet. She attempted to break the record at the Zurich Diamond League but fell nine seconds short under challenging rainy conditions. Despite the near miss, Chebet's eyes are firmly set on new goals, particularly in road racing and eventually marathon running—a natural progression for the long-distance star.

In a recent interview, Chebet revealed her long-term plans, stating that she is taking a gradual approach to marathon running, drawing inspiration from fellow Kenyan marathon legends like Hellen Obiri and Vivian Cheruiyot.

“We are going slowly. Everything now has its own time so we have to go gradually until we reach the marathon,” Chebet told Citius Mag.

Reflecting on her remarkable performances this season, Chebet expressed her satisfaction, especially with her ability to maintain her form late into the season. “It was amazing because it was the beginning of the season so you feel stronger and energetic, but in the 5000, coming here at the end of the season, I just said, ‘let me go and try’,” she explained.

Chebet’s 14:09 finish in Zurich was impressive, given that she ran 2.5 kilometers alone in the race. “I am so happy. A good performance after Paris. Running 14.09 is not easy, especially after running 2.5 kilometers alone,” she added.

As the season winds down, Chebet is looking forward to taking a well-deserved break. “Take part in the Diamond League, get back and relax, and then prepare the season again for next year,” she said.

Chebet had earlier expressed her admiration for Ethiopian-born Dutch runner Sifan Hassan, whose versatility across multiple events has inspired Chebet’s future ambitions. Hassan took bronze in both the 5000 and 10,000 meters in Paris before striking gold in the marathon, a feat that left a lasting impression on Chebet.

“She always motivates me. She has personal bests in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, and even the marathon. She’s a great athlete and makes me believe that you can do anything if you believe in yourself,” Chebet said.

Looking ahead, Chebet hopes to follow in Hassan’s footsteps, testing her capabilities in the marathon. “I want to follow in her footsteps too. In some years to come, I will also try the marathon,” she hinted.

Olympic medalists Chebet, Kibiwott promoted to corporal

Beatrice Chebet and  Abraham Kibiwott left Kenya for the Paris Olympics games as a constable in the police service, but ascended to the rank of Corporals, upon landing back.

Chebet was promoted to the rank by acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli at Jogoo House on Wednesday, after grabbing gold in the women's 5000m and 10000m races.

Meanwhile, Kibiwott won bronze in the men’s 3000m race, to also get one star added on his sleeve, moving to the Corporal rank.

It is a custom that officers in the discipline forces are always promoted one rank higher for their stellar performances in all disciplines on the international stage.

Chebet who is based in Kericho couldn’t hide her joy, saying she achieved her goals through hard work and discipline and promised to continue making Kenya proud.

“It feels good to be promoted and I thank my boss Masengeli, for awarding my efforts handsomely. I also appreciate my collogues, teammates, and my family for pushing me towards this achievement.”

The Olympics debutant beat an experienced field of runners on August 6t, to claim the 5000m gold in 14 minutes and 28.56 seconds, finishing ahead of compatriot Faith Kipyegon and Dutch legend Sifan Hassan respectively.

The 24-year-old national police officer is based in  Kericho and is coached by Peter Bii.

The best performer in team Kenya’s camp completed her historic double on August 9th 2024 in style grabbing the 10,000m race in 39:43.25.

She beat Italy's Nadia Batocletti and Sifan in that order, at the iconic Stade de France.

Chebet’s historic performance places her among the legends of long-distance running, becoming only the third woman to win both events at the same Olympics.

Meanwhile, Abraham Kibiwott who is an Administration police officer based in APTC training school Embakasi, also made a courtesy call to his boss for his coronation hours after landing from Paris.

Kibowott who was among the five Kenyan bronze medalists, clocked 8:06.47, to finish behind America’s Kenneth Rooks and Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali.

The 28-year-old who hails from Uasin Gishu County, has a personal best of 8:05.51 minutes. 

He also claimed bronze in the 2023 World Championships in Budapest and the 2016 Durban, African Championships.

“I did my best, but I couldn’t get the desired gold. I will continue working towards it. I want to thank my boss for acknowledging my efforts, I am so happy to have climbed one rank higher,” said Kibiwott.

Both athletes proceeded to Eldoret the City of Champions where President William Ruto, hosted the Kenyan Olympics for a breakfast meeting. 

President Ruto is expected to award the medalists with cash-winning bonuses.

Team Kenya finished at position  17 in Paris with 11 medals; 4 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze medals.

What next for Kenya after Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The curtains for the 2024 Paris Olympics fell on Sunday night with Kenya ranking 17th in the world after winning 11 medals.

Despite Kenya topping the African continent with 4 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze medals, the results left a lot to be desired.

From 83 athletes competing in seven disciplines, a significant impact was expected from the Kenyan athletes and the world.

The show started with Judoka Zeddy Cherop falling 10-0 to Portugal’s Patricia Sampao in a record 22 seconds while Fencing African champion Alexandra Ndolo crushed out 13-12 to Ukranian Olena Kryvytska in her debut.

Maria Brunlehner and Ridhwan Mohamed finished 3rd and 4th in the women’s 50m freestyle and Men’s 400m freestyle heats respectively to crush out of contention for a swimming medal.

The sevens rugby team also crushed out in the group stage, after going down to Australia, Argentina and Samoa.

The women’s volleyball team booked their next flight after failing to win a single set following three identical 3-0 losses in a tough group B pool comprising Brazil, Poland and Japan.

Paris, the City of Love, had very little affection for Kenya as former world champion Julius Yego, finished a distant 5th in the javelin final with a 87.72m throw, to also bite the dust.

Africa's fastest man, Ferdinand Omanyala's 100m Olympic medal dream was shattered in the semi-finals after clocking 10.08 seconds to finish 8th.

However, Kenya redeemed herself with debutant Beatrice Chebet grabbing double gold in the 5000m and 10000m women’s races.

The best performer was followed closely by Faith Kipyegon who defended her 1500m gold and added the 5000m women’s silver.

Another debutant, Emmanuel Wanyonyi, grabbed the 800m gold, while Ronald Kwemoi struck the men’s 5000m silver.

Mary Moraa, the dancing queen, grabbed the 800m bronze, same as Faith Cherotich (3000m steeplechase) and Abraham Kibiwot (3000m steeplechase).

Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto rounded up the bronze tally in the men's and women's marathons.  

Obiri failed in her quest for an Olympic medal having won silver in the women's 5000m in Tokyo, 2020 and Rio 2016 games.

History Making

Kenya will however keep pride in making history after Faith Kipyegon became the first woman to complete an Olympic hat trick after breaking her 1500m record in 3:51.29, before a fully packed iconic Stade de France. 

Debutant Beatrice Chebet was the best performer entering the history books by winning a double gold in the women's 5000m and 10000m.

The feat makes Chebet the first Kenyan woman to win Olympic 10000m gold for Kenya since the race was introduced in the 1988 Olympics.

She is the third woman after Tirunesh Dibaba and Sifan Hassan to win the 5000m and 10000m double at the Olympic Games.

"I'm dedicating this medal to all Kenyans. I just want to hear my country is proud. This was for you, you were in my mind and heart in every lap; I might have made history but I will sleep better knowing Wananchi wataenjoy the weekend," she said.

Kenya’s legend Eliud Kipchoge failed to complete an Olympic marathon treble after dropping out of the race at the 20km mark.

Kipchoge later confirmed he won’t be running in the Los Angeles 2028 summer games.

“I felt a sharp pain in the stomach and I couldn’t continue. I'm disappointed that for the first time in my career, I failed to finish a race .” Kipchoge said.

Lady luck also smiled on Kenya after Kipyegon's 5000m silver medal was reinstated following an appeal, after a push and shove with Ethiopian nemesis, Gudaf Tsegay, had her initially disqualified.

In the 800m final, Canada appealed against Kenyan winner Emmanuel Wanyonyi's personal best of 1:41.91 in the 800m, claiming he obstructed silver medallist Marco Arop. Kenya won the appeal.

Tokyo 2020

Despite the dismal show in Paris, Kenya had bettered the 2020 Tokyo tally of 10 medals and a 19th spot finish.

The post-Covid games had challenges but Kenya grabbed four gold, four silvers and two bronze medals.

Emmanuel Korir (800m), Faith Kipyegon (1500m), Peres Jepchirhir (marathon), and Eliud Kipchoge (marathon) were the gold medalists while Hellen Obiri (5000m), Fergussin Rotich (800m), Brigid Kosgei (marathon) and Timothy Cheruiyot (1500m) won silver.

Benjamin Kigen and Hyvin Kiyeng won the men's and women's 3000m steeplechase races respectively.

Rio 2016 

In the 2016 Rio De Janeiro games, Kenya managed six gold, six silver and one bronze medal for a tally of 13 medals. 

Rio 2016 Olympics gold medalists were Jemima Sumgong in women's marathon, David Rudisha in 800m, Faith Kipyegon in 1500m, Conseslus Kipruto in 3000m steeplechase, Vivian Ceruiyot in 5000m and Eliud Kipchoge marathon.

Meanwhile, Vivian Cheruiyot (10000m); Paul Tanui (10000m); Hyvin Kiyeng (3000m steeplechase); Boniface Mucheru (400m hurdles); and Hellen Obiri (5000m) all grabbed silver, while Julius Yego managed a rare javelin silver. Margaret Wambui won bronze in women's 800m.

London 2012  

The London 2012 Summer Games saw Kenya manage 2 gold, 4 silver and 7 bronze for a total of 13 medals.

Despite a cold and warm performance in the Queens land, Kenya won two gold medals to finish a distant 29th in the world rankings.

Legendary track masters Ezekiel Kemboi and David Rudisha grabbed gold in the men's 3000m and 800m races respectively.

Sally Kipyegon brought home the women's 10000m silver, while Priscah Jeptoo won the women's marathon silver medal as Vivian Cheruiyot grabbed the women's 5000m race.

Abel Kirui rounded up the silver medals haul after clinching the men’s marathon race.

Vivian Cheruiyot won bronze in the 10000m women's race, while Asbel Kiprop and Milcah Chemos clinched bronze in the men's and women’s 3000m steeplechase.

Timothy Kiptum and Pamela Jelimo clinched the men's and women's 800m race respectively while Thomas Longosiwa and Wilson Kipsang rounded off Kenya's bronze medals haul, winning the 5000m men's and women's marathon races.

What next?

As the nation awaits the Paris 2024 Games report on what worked and what didn't work, a lot will be looked into including preparations, sports science, lack of stadia and lack of funds among others.

However, one constant reminder is that Kenya must smell the coffee, lest our legacy is discarded by the improving rival nations every day.

The next Omanyala, Yego, Obiri and Kipchoge should be nurtured immediately if we are to remain world beaters in the summer games.

Beating the 2008 Beijing Summer Games remains the target, where Kenya sent a total of 46 athletes: 28 men and 18 women who brought home the best tally of six gold, four silver and six bronze medals.

The journey to the Los Angeles 2028 games starts with a new sheriff in town, CS Kipchumba Murkomen, at the helm of the Sports ministry.

FAITH KIPYEGON CLAIMS THIRD WOMEN’S 1500M TITLE IN OLYMPIC RECORD TIME

Faith Kipyegon blazed to victory in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 women’s 1500m, finishing in 3:51.29 to claim a brilliant gold and Olympic record on the final night of track action at the Stade de France. She is the first athlete - male or female - to win gold in the event at three different Games.

“It’s a big, big achievement,” said an elated Kipyegon after her victory. “I was really looking forward to defending my title (from the last two Olympic Games), and I had a dream. It’s amazing to me, I completed it. I’m so, so happy.

“This is history. I managed to make history. I’ve done it. This is an amazing honour, to win the gold medal in the 1500. It was my key target.”

Jessica Hull of Australia won silver in 3:52.56, with Great Britain’s Georgia Bell running the race of her life to take bronze in a national record time of 3:52.61.

“It’s all a bit of a blur,” said bronze medallist Bell. “I think it’ll hit me a little bit later. On the start (line) I really had the feeling that if I just stuck in there I’d be able to do something special, so I’m over the moon to get a medal.”

Kipyegon is the world record holder in the 1500m, having posted a time of 3:49.04 in Paris earlier this year. She came into the race having already won Olympic silver in the 5,000m behind compatriot Beatrice Chebet.

However, over a distance she had made her own, the Kenyan sprinted to the finish line to take her third Olympic title and break the Olympic record she herself had set at Tokyo 2020.

History was made across the entire podium, with the British record falling into the hands of bronze-winning Bell and Hull becoming the first-ever Australian medallist in the event.

But the day belonged to World Athlete of the Year Kipyegon, who has become close to unbeatable over the metric mile and stands victorious once again after a scintillating performance at Paris 2024.

Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet wins 10,000m gold for historic distance double

Chebet is the first Kenyan athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in a single Games.

After winning the women’s 5,000m gold earlier in the week, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet made history on Friday in the women’s 10,000m, taking gold to compete the Olympic distance double. Italy’s Nadia Battocletti set a national record to win silver in 30:43.35, and fan favourite Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands won her bronze of the Games in 30:44.12.

It’s the first time a Kenyan athlete has won two gold medals on the track in a single Olympics, and the first time a Kenyan has won gold in the women’s 10,000m since its addition to the Olympic program in Seoul 1988.

Chebet, the current world record holder in the 10,000m (28:54.15, set earlier this year) positioned herself near the front of the pack during the first few laps and remained there throughout, with Battocletti in the middle and Hassan running near the back, where she stayed until the final two laps. Chebet is also the 2024 world cross-country champion, a title she also won in 2023.

The group stayed tightly bunched through most of the race, with around a dozen women running closely together into the final laps. Chebet began to pick up the pace at the bell, followed by Battocletti, who finished fourth in the 5,000m final earlier in the week. Battocletti ran a tactically smart race, putting herself in an ideal position to strike in the final stretch.

With 200m to go, Hassan, the defending Olympic champion, who had only begun moving up from the rear in the final two laps of the race, began a push toward the front of the lead group, eventually clinching third place and her second bronze medal of the Paris Olympics. (She won bronze in the 5,000 also.)

Hassan is attempting an ambitious triple, competing in the 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon at these Olympics. She will have one day of rest on Saturday before tackling the women’s marathon on Sunday, the final day of the Games.

Chebet strikes a second gold and Kenya's first Olympic women's 10,000m title in Paris

Kenya’s Olympic 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet accomplished her double golden glory by winning the 10,000m at the Paris 2024 Games on Friday (9).

Just four days after striking gold in the 5000m final, Olympic debutant Chebet emerged victorious in the women’s 10,000m in 30:43.25 at the Stade de France.

Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who was fourth in the 5000m, finished strong in a national record of 30:43.35 to secure the silver as Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands ran 30:44.12 for bronze – her second medal of that colour in Paris after her third-place finish in the 5000m. 

The feat makes Chebet the first Kenyan woman to win Olympic 10,000m gold and only the third woman after Tirunesh Dibaba and Hassan to win the 5000m and 10,000m double at the Olympic Games.

The 24-year-old also became the first to win 5000m and 10,000m Olympic titles in addition to the world cross country title and the 10,000m world record. 

Chebet, who shattered the world 10,000m record in May’s Prefontaine Classic, was no doubt the centre of focus in the final. She did the sign of a cross before taking off as part of a field that featured defending champion Hassan, 5000m world record-holder Gudaf Tsegay and Battocletti.

The rain had stopped and the sun was shining bright when the women took off in the 10,000m on a somewhat wet track.

Rahel Daniel of Eritrea had an early leading role with Battocletti behind her, taking the field through 1000m in 3:12. The main cast included Chebet and Tsegay tucked in the middle of the pack, while Hassan stayed behind.

The race was tactical and Daniel was in the lead until she dropped out of the competition and Rino Goshima of Japan took over, leading the pack through 3000m in 9:26.94 and 4000m in 12:38.12. Chebet had moved up to third position, and throughout the whole race she had no interest in going in front. 

Thirteen athletes were still bunched together with eight laps remaining. This time it was Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama’s turn to lead, taking them through 7000m in 21:15.65. The pack had Chebet, Margaret Kipkemboi, Lilian Kasait Rengeruk, Fotyen Tesfay, Tsegay, Sarah Chelangat and Battocletti. 

With two laps to go, Kenya’s Kipkemboi pushed the pace and just before the bell it was an East Africa contest. Kipkemboi stepped on the gas again after the bell, with Rengeruk on her shoulder. Their intention – to drop the rest, a move that made Chebet and Battocletti immediately respond. Hassan also covered the move.

With 200 metres to go, Chebet – who had run a very tactical race – overtook Kipkemboi, with Battocletti hot on her heels. But Chebet’s strong kick was enough to earn the 10,000m gold medal in 30:43.25, the slowest winning time since the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Battocletti crossed the line a tenth of a second after Chebet, taking home a silver medal and a national record of 30:43.35. 

Hassan's triple quest in Paris amounted to a second podium finish, as she came home third in 30:44.12. She will next compete in the marathon on Sunday. 

“I’m so happy," said Chebet. "To do the 5000m and 10,000m is not something easy. But just focus, and know that you can achieve. Just believe in yourself.

"I believed that I could do it. I just wanted to win the 10,000m for my country. My country has never won a gold medal (in the women’s 10,000m). So I said I wanted to be the first."

Chebet seeks Olympic double in 10,000m race as Wanyonyi eyes 800m final spot

Olympic 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet will be seeking a historic double when she lines up in the 10,000m women's final at the Paris 2024 games Later tonight.

Chebet, won the 5000m on Monday night, dashing in the last 50m to beat two-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon and Dutch woman Sifan Hassan to the tape.

She will fly the Kenyan flag alongside compatriots Margaret Chelimo and Lilian Kasiait.

Kasait, is the second fastest runner this year with another sub-30 display of 29:26.89, while Chelimo  finished fifth in the 5000m final, has a best time of  (29:27.59), in the 25 laps race

The world record holder with a time of (28:54.14), will face a rich field led by defending champion Sifan Hassan (29:06.82), Ethiopian two-time world 5000m record-holder Gudaf Tsegay and compatriots Fotyen Tesfay (29:47.71) and Tsigie Gebreselama (29:48.34).

While Chebet will be seeking to become the first Kenyan to clinch an Olympic double, Sifan's victory will see the Dutch star become the only woman to have won the title consecutively after Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba's grabbed the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 titles.

The 24-year-old Olympics debutant faces an acid test in her quest for a second gold medal despite being among the favourites despite flooring seasoned track legends Faith Kiyegon, Sifan and Ethiopia's Tsegay Gudaf. In the 5000m race.

“This is a different race and I have to use a different technique to emerge victorious. "It will be tough but I will try my best," Chebet said.

The race takes place at 9.47 pm at the iconic Stade de France.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Commonwealth Games title holder Wycliffe Kinyamal will kick start team Kenya’s track events this afternoon when they line up in the men's 800m semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Faith Kipyegon ready for historic 1,500m Olympics hat-trick

Two-time 1,500 Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon will be seeking to become the first woman to win three titles in the same individual track event at the Olympics, when she lines up in the semifinals of the race on Thursday at the Stade de France.

The defending champion clocked (4:00.74) to finish fourth in heat two, behind winner Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji (3:59.73), Britain’s Georgia Bell (4:00.290 and USA’s Nikki Hiltz (4:00.42) yesterday.

The heats came barely 12 hours after Kipyegon successfully appealed to overturn her disqualification from the 5,000m after a mid-race altercation with Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay in which both narrowly missed crashing onto the track.

Kipyegon grabbed silver in 14:29.60, finishing ahead of the Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan (14:30.61) as compatriot Beatrice Chebet grabbed gold in (14:28.56).

However, the track queen will have to be mentally fit in Thursday’s semis, to reach Saturday’s finals, following a drama packed Monday night 5,000m race finals.

“I feel fresh and ready for the semis, I am Faith and I participate in a good way and I believe in myself. It was a good race a lot of pushing up and down but all in all, it is finished and I focus on the 1,500m semis,” Kipyegon said.

Kipyegon who didn’t manage to talk to journalists after Monday’s drama didn’t want to dwell much on the matter.

“I just went to the village and took a nap knowing that I had another race the next morning. I was not disappointed but this is another distance altogether, I really thank Kenyans for the support and prayers as we continue pushing in the 1,500m,” Kipyegon said.

Having put Monday’s drama behind her, she goes to the semis not having lost in the 1,500m since 2021, with the historical third Olympic title beckoning.

The world champion must beat three of the five fastest 1,500m runners in history, including her Ethiopian rival Tsegay and Austraila’s Jessica Hull, to reach her dreams.

She will fly the Kenyan flag alongside compatriots Susan Ejore and Nelly Jepchirchir who also qualified for the semis.

The Kenyan star ended her 2023 track campaign with a 1,500m win at the Wanda Diamond League final in Eugene on 26 Aug 2023.

She ran 3:53.98 in the 1,500m and 14:46.28 for 5,000m in Nairobi, during the Kenyan Olympic trials.

Faith warmed up for the Olympics by breaking the world 1,500m record again at the Paris Diamond League meeting on July 7, 2024 after clocking 3:49.04

Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk is the only woman in the history of the games to ever claim a threepeat, as well as possessing the two fastest performances of all time in the hammer throw.

Sifan Hassan says she thought about Olympic marathon during 5,000m final

"I am really freaking scared of the marathon," says Hassan.

Sifan Hassan won her first medal of her attempted distance triple at the Paris 2024 Games, taking bronze in the women’s 5,000m behind Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Faith Kipyegon. At the post-race press conference, Hassan said she was super happy with the bronze, since the only thing on her mind during the race was how much harder the marathon will be compared to the 5,000m.

The Dutch distance runner is attempting the 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon at these Games, which means she will compete in three races over seven days. Hassan said she was happy to win bronze in 14:30.61: “I would have been proud even if I was fourth,” she laughed. “It was an incredible field.”

She mentioned in the post-race press conference that whenever the 5,000m got tough, she reminded herself that it’s not as hard as the marathon. “I am really freaking scared of the marathon,” Hassan admitted.

Hassan crossed the line in third, but was briefly upgraded to silver after Kipyegon, the second-place finisher, was disqualified for obstructing another athlete with two laps to go. However, Kipyegon was reinstated to the silver medal position following a successful appeal from Athletics Kenya. Hassan said she was happy to see Kipyegon reinstated. “She’s a phenomenal athlete, and I have a lot of respect for her,” she said. “I was here to medal, and I’m really grateful to get one.”

The four-time Olympic medallist from the Netherlands said she has never pushed her limits as she has this year in preparation for the distance triple at the Paris Olympics. “I really want to cry before every race; I am so under pressure—like, ‘how am I going to do this? Why do I put myself through this?'” said Hassan. “Maybe I am just crazy.”

The 31-year-old will next compete on Friday in the women’s 10,000m final, and then run in the marathon on Sunday.

Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.

Faith Kipyegon Disqualified, Then Wins Appeal To Earn Back Olympic Silver

A dust up just before the 800m mark in the women's 5,000 meter final at the Paris Olympics cost one Kenyan a silver medal, before an appeal overruled it.

An instinctive moment initially cost Faith Kipyegon an Olympic 5,000 meter silver medal on Monday at the Paris Olympics. 

And then after appeal, it didn't. 

But first, here's what happened: 

The Kenyan outstretched her right arm, making contact with Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay with a little more than 800 meters left to go and created a reaction that unbalanced her competitor before the race continued on. The official ruling was obstruction for the infraction.

Kipyegon went on to battle stride-for-stride with her countrywoman Beatrice Chebet, the world record-holder over 10,000 meters, over the next two laps, eventually relenting for silver. 

After an appeal by the Kenyan Federation, Kipyegon was re-instated with her silver medal. 

Chebet took the Olympic gold with a time of 14:28.56. 

Originally, Kipyegon was disqualified for her obstruction with just over 800 meters remaining. That result initially re-ordered the podium and lifted the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan to second in 14:30.61 and Italy's Nadia Battocletti to third in 14:31.64.

With the appeal won, Battocletti moved back to fourth and Hassan to third. 

Tsegay, crucially involved in the dust up, settled for eighth in 14:45.21. She is the world record-holder for 5,000 meters, but that fact means little after Monday's performance. 

Hassan, who's eyeing up an incredible Olympic triple with her performance in the 5K, 10K and marathon, made swift work over the last lap to close on the Kenyans. 

Battocletti, meanwhile, scored a new Italian national record with her performance. 

Kipyegon, the world record-holder in the 1,500m and mile, was a former record-holder in the 5K before Chebet passed her. 

Americans Karissa Schweizer and Elise Cranny finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in 14:45.57 and 14:48.06.

Beatrice Chebet wins Kenya's first gold medal at Paris Olympics as Faith Kipyegon is disqualified

Beatrice Chebet won Kenya's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics after a great victory past favorite Faith Kipyegon with the world champion losing silver over a track offence.

Beatrice Chebet executed a top strategy to stun Faith Kipyegon and claim Kenya’s first Olympics gold medal in Paris on Monday.

The world silver medalist saved the best for last in what was an ill-tempered race that had a quality field.

With all eyes on Kipyegon, world record holder Guday Tsegay of Ethiopia and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, Chebet ran without pressure and waited for the right opportunity to go for the kill.

Hassan briefly surged forward before retreating while Ethiopian runners also took the lead after which Kipyegon raced head.

There was a moment of worry when the world champion was boxed in and had a go at Tsegay with two laps to go. She then sprinted forward after the bell and it appeared she was set to claim gold.

However, Chebet kept pace with her and in the final 60m, the double world cross-country champion went past Kipyegon to claim her first Olympics title and a first gold for Kenya at the 2024 Games.

Chebet clocked 14:28.56 as Kipeygon finished second but there would a be a further shocker for her as she was disqualified with Hassan elevated to second place in 14.30.61 while Italian Nadia Battocletti was awarded a bronze medal.

It was not cleat why Kipyegon was disqualified but it appears her altercation on the track with could have led to the shocking decision with obstruction cited as the main reason.

Will super spikes cause records to fall in Paris?

Recent research confirms that high-tech shoes will give runners a significant boost.

Athletics events kick off Thursday at the Paris Olympics, and many, if not all, track competitors will be sporting super spikes—new generation, high-tech running spikes with carbon plates. Will these shoes power athletes to never-before-seen times? Recent research out of the University of Michigan suggests they will, and by a surprising amount.

A game-changing advantage

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics saw record performances on the track, leading fans and exercise physiologists alike to wonder about the impact of super spikes, which at the time were only accessible to a small group of athletes.

A recent study conducted by St. Edward’s University and the University of Michigan has shed light on the significant role these advanced footwear technologies play in boosting running economy—the efficiency with which the body uses oxygen, which is crucial for athletic performance.

Researchers compared the running economy of athletes wearing super spikes to those in traditional track spikes. The results? A notable two per cent improvement in running economy with super spikes, potentially translating to a one-to-one-and-a-half per cent reduction in race times.

For example, for a runner who completes a 10,000m race in 30 minutes, this enhancement could mean shaving off about 25 seconds—an edge that could make an enormous difference in a close race. (The women’s world record for the outdoor 10,000m race, the longest of the track events, is 28:54.14, set by Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet, and the men’s record, set by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, is 26:11.00.)

Levelling the playing field

Super spikes integrate advanced materials like special foams and carbon-fibre plates, making them lighter, softer and more responsive than traditional track spikes. While controversy surrounds their perceived advantage, with some feeling they offer an unfair edge, most (or all) competitors will be wearing them in Paris, suggesting a levelling of the playing field.

Similar technology has been used in running shoes since 2016, and the study also compared super spikes with new-generation running shoes. Despite weighing more, the high-tech shoes provided a comparable boost in running economy to the super spikes.

Are records destined to be broken in Paris?

With the athletics portion of the Paris Olympics Games kicking off Thursday with the men’s and women’s 20K race walk events, the increased availability and use of super spikes are expected to raise the bar for athletic performances. While not every Olympian had access to these technologies in 2020, their proliferation suggests a new track and field standard.

According to researchers, the greater availability of super spikes could lead to a deeper pool of faster times at the Paris Olympics, setting the stage for record-breaking performances. Tune in and be prepared to be on the the edge of your seat.

Paris 2024: Favorites and best value picks on the track

We are just four days away from the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and a little over a week from the start of the athletics events at the Stade de France. If you’re looking to place your bets for gold or want to know the favorites for each event (according to Vegas sportsbooks), we’ve got you covered with insights and odds to help you get the best value out of your picks.

Men’s 100m

Favorite: Kishane Thompson (JAM) -105 [world leader]

Best value: Oblique Seville (JAM) +900 

Men’s 200m

Favorite: Noah Lyles (USA) -290 [3x world champion]

Best value: Erriyon Knighton (USA) +1000 [2x world championship medallist]

Men’s 400m

Favorite: Matthew Hudson-Smith (GBR) +120 [world silver medalist]

Best value: Steven Gardiner (BAH) +350 [reigning Olympic champion]

Men’s 800m

Favorite: Djamel Sedjati (ALG) -250 [world leader]

Best value: Marco Arop (CAN) +1500 [reigning world champion]

Men’s 1,500m

Favorite: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) -225 [reigning Olympic champion]

Best value: Josh Kerr (GBR) +175 [reigning world champion]

Men’s 5,000m

Favorite: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) -290 [reigning world champion]

Best value: George Mills (GBR) +4000 

Men’s 10,000m

Favorite: Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) +120 [world record holder]

Best value: Berihu Aregawi (ETH) +600 

Men’s 110m hurdles

Favorite: Grant Holloway (USA) -500 [world leader and world champion]

Best value: Hansle Parchment (JAM) +1000 [reigning Olympic champion]

Men’s 400m hurdles

Favorite: Rai Benjamin (USA) +100 [world leader]

Best value: Alison Dos Santos (BRA) +300 [2022 world champion]

Men’s 3,000m steeplechase

Favorite: Lamecha Girma (ETH) -120

Best value: Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR) +190

Men’s marathon

Favorite: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) -190 [reigning Olympic champion]

Best value: Benson Kipruto (KEN) +900 [2024 Tokyo Marathon champion]

Women’s 100m

Favorite: Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) -225 [reigning world champion]

Best value: Julien Alfred (LCA) +700 

Women’s 200m

Favorite: Gabby Thomas (USA) +105 [2020 Olympic bronze medalist]

Best value: Shericka Jackson (JAM) +180 [reigning world champion

Women’s 400m

Favorite: Marileidy Paulino (DOM) -135 [2020 Olympic silver medalist]

Best value: Rhasidat Adeleke (IRL) +700 

Women’s 800m

Favorite: Keely Hodgkinson (GBR) -290 [Olympic silver medallist]

Best value: Nia Atkins (USA) +1500

Women’s 1,500m

Favorite: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) -285 [world record holder]

Best value: Jessica Hull (AUS) +1000

Women’s 5,000m

Favorite: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) -285 [world champion]

Best value: Beatrice Chebet (KEN) +750 [world XC champion]

Women’s 10,000m

Favorite: Sifan Hassan (NED) +120 [reigning Olympic champion]

Best value: Gudaf Tsegay (ETH) +250 [reigning world champion]

Women’s 100m hurdles

Favorite: Cyrena Samba-Mayela (FRA) +250 [European champion]

Best value: Tobi Amusan (NGR) +1500 [world record holder]

Women’s 400m hurdles

Favorite: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (USA) -700 [world record holder and reigning Olympic champion]

Best value: Femke Bol (NED) +300 [reigning world champion]

Women’s 3,000m steeplechase

Favorite: Beatrice Chepkoech (KEN) n/a [world record holder]

Best value: Sembo Almayew (ETH) n/a

Women’s marathon

Favorite: Tigst Assefa (ETH) +250 [world record holder]

Best value: Hellen Obiri (KEN) +400 [2023 & 2024 Boston Marathon champion] 

Sifan Hassan to race four events at Paris 2024 Olympics

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Dutch distance runner Sifan Hassan made history by winning three individual medals across three different athletics disciplines, two golds and one bronze. She won golds in the women’s 5,000m and 10,000m events, and bronze in the women’s 1,500m behind Faith Kipyegon and Laura Muir. Well apparently three events didn’t keep Hassan busy enough, raising the stakes for Paris 2024 by competing in the 1,500m, 5,000m, 10,000m and the marathon—an unprecedented Olympic quadruple.

According to an announcement from the Dutch Olympic team, Hassan is entered in all four disciplines and will race a total of seven times over 10 days. Her most challenging stretch will be from Aug. 8-11, when she is scheduled to race the 1,500m semi-finals and finals, the women’s 10,000m final, and the women’s marathon on the final day of Paris 2024 (Aug. 11); all on consecutive days.

Hassan is the only athlete in Olympic history to have medaled in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m events at a single Games. She is also the first to qualify for and attempt this quadruple-distance feat.

Last year, Hassan expanded her repertoire by adding the marathon to her list of racing disciplines. She won her marathon debut at the 2023 London Marathon and went on to clock the second-fastest women’s marathon time in history (2:13:44) to win the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Hassan’s Paris 2024 schedule is ambitious. Although she is one of the greatest distance runners in history, replicating her Tokyo success will be incredibly challenging. The women’s 1,500m and 5,000m are two of the deepest events right now, featuring formidable competitors like defending world champion Faith Kipyegon, Laura Muir (Olympic silver medallist), Australia’s Jessica Hull (2,000m world record holder), Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay (5,000m world record holder), and Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet (world XC champion). Hassan’s best chances for a medal lie in the women’s 10,000m final and the marathon, which come at the end of the Olympic schedule.

Here’s a look at Hassan’s Olympic schedule:

August 2: 5,000m, Round 1 – 6:10 p.m.

August 5: 5,000m, Final – 9:10 p.m.

August 6: 1,500m, Round 1 – 10:05 a.m.

August 8: 1,500m, Semifinal – 7:35 p.m.

August 9: 10,000m Final – 8:55 p.m.

August 10: 1,500m, Final – 8:25 p.m.

August 11: Marathon – 8:00 a.m.

Only two athletes have won four medals at a single Olympic Games: U.S. sprint icon Florence Griffith-Joyner, who won three golds and one silver (in the 4x400m relay) at Seoul in 1988, and Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands, who won four golds at the 1948 Olympics in London in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay, and 80m hurdles.

Confident Faith Kipyegon ready to double at Paris Olympics after impressing on day two of Kenyan trials

Winning the 1500m at the Kenyan Olympic trials has boosted Faith Kipyegon's confidence and she has disclosed plans to double in the 1500m and 5000m at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Three-time world 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon has impressed one more time on day two of the Kenyan Olympic trials, winning the 1500m and she has admitted it is a confidence booster for her to double in the 1500m and 5000m.

The double world champion clocked an impressive 3:53.98 to cross the finish line ahead of Nelly Chepchirchir who also qualified for the games, clocking 3:58.46 to cross the finish line.

Us-based runner Susan Ejore completed the podium, clocking an astonishing 4:00.22 to also qualify for the games.

Kipyegon was proud to share that the win is a confidence booster since she has been out with an injury and opening her season with a win and clocking such a fast time has encouraged her to double at the Olympics.

Before the race, her goal was to ensure she motivates others to join her in search for Olympic glory and she explained that her main aim was to ensure they run a faster race, something she was happy to have achieved and also pushed Chepchirchir and Ejore to hit the Olympic qualifying mark.

“I had not raced due to an injury but I thank God because I ran an incredible race today. I can declare that I’m going to double after this win because I have gained more confidence and I’m doing well. I’m ready to go and represent Kenya in the 1500m and 5000m.

“I see the team is very strong because we have worked together and we had talked before the race that we shall run a fast one. Today we wanted to run faster.

“After now, we are going to prepare for the Games and pray to God that we stay healthy and focus on the Olympics,” Kipyegon said after the race.

In her season opener at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, Kipyegon also outsmarted other world 10,000m record holder Beatrice Chebet to take the crown.

The two-time Olympic 1500m champion clocked 14:46.28 to cross the finish line as Chebet finished second in 14:52.55. Margaret Chelimo completed the podium, stopping the clock at 14:59.39.

Why the "Norwegian Method" Training Craze Is Here to Stay

In a highly anticipated race at the 2024 Prefontaine Classic, Jakob Ingebrigsten pitted his revolutionary "Norwegian method" of training against some of the best milers in the world.

The “Mile of the Century”—of the twentieth century, that is—was a duel between John Landy and Roger Bannister at the 1954 Empire Games in Victoria. The two men were, at the time, the only two sub-four-minute milers in the world: Bannister had beaten Landy to the punch by 46 days, but Landy was the reigning world record holder. Their end-of-season clash was as heavily anticipated as any heavyweight boxing duel. Landy led until the final bend, at which point he famously glanced over his left shoulder at precisely the moment that Bannister surged past on his right.

The mile of the current century, at least in terms of pre-race hype and intriguing storylines, took place on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic track meet in Eugene. It was a gigantic multidimensional grudge match between Jakob Ingebrigsten, the blunt-speaking Norwegian wunderkind who won the 2021 Olympics at the tender age of 20 and whose training methods have sparked wholesale upheaval in the endurance world, and almost every runner who has beaten him or come close to it in recent years—most notably Josh Kerr, the Scotsman who upset him at last summer’s World Championships and has been engaged in an increasingly testy war of words with him ever since.

What gave the race an extra layer of significance, beyond the usual battle for personal supremacy, was that clash of training ideas. Ingebrigtsen is the foremost exponent of what has come to be known as the “Norwegian method” of endurance training. Its hallmark is carefully controlled workout intensities, pushing just hard enough to stimulate adaptation without incurring fatigue that would compromise the next workout. In Ingebrigtsen’s hands, that involves twice-a-week double threshold sessions: workouts like ten times a kilometer with one minute recovery in the morning and evening, with regular ear pricks to check lactate levels and keep the intensity in the right zone, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A similar approach has also taken Norwegians to the top of the podium in other sports like triathlon and cross-country skiing, and athletes from other countries have begun emulating it. Norwegian-style training is “the big, sexy thing,” as U.S. miler Hobbs Kessler put it. It might even be “the next step in the evolution of distance running training,” as a group of sports scientists suggested in an academic paper last year (which I wrote about here). It’s very hard to do controlled studies of entire training philosophies, as opposed to specific workouts. So the best litmus test, I suggested, would be clashes on the track leading up to the Paris Olympics. Saturday in Eugene was the first such test.

Sexy new things don’t stay sexy and new forever, and it’s fair to say that some of the shine of Norwegian training has worn off since last year. The most notable reputational hit was Kerr’s 1,500-meter win at last summer’s World Championships, kicking past Ingebrigtsen in the final lap after the Norwegian had led most of the race. One loss could be blamed on bad luck, but that made three times in a row: another Scottish runner, Jake Wightman, had outkicked Ingebrigtsen in strikingly similar fashion at the 2022 World Championships, and Ethiopian star Samuel Tefera did the same at the 2022 World Indoor Championships. That starts to look like a systemic flaw in the training approach. While Ingebrigtsen was carefully monitoring his moderate-intensity threshold intervals, Kerr and Wightman and Tefera were presumably ripping off all-out sprints—and they had a racing gear that he seemed to lack.

In Eugene, a rabbit led the field through a quick first half-mile. When he stepped off, it was Kenyan runner Abel Kipsang who pushed onward, with Ingebrigtsen following patiently behind. This was already a surprise: Ingebrigtsen is usually the one pushing the pace. Then, with a lap and a half still remaining, it was the fast finisher Kerr who surged into the lead and made an early bid for victory. Each man, it seemed, was playing the other’s game. The last lap ticked by in slow motion, Kerr unable to pull away and Ingebrigtsen unable to close the gap. That’s how it finished: Kerr in 3:45.34, Ingebrigtsen in 3:45.60, and then seven more men under the once-impregnable 3:50 barrier. In 11th place was Cam Myers, a 17-year-old from Australia, with a time of 3:50.15—two seconds faster than Ingebrigtsen himself ran at Pre as a 17-year-old in 2018.

It would be as foolish to give up on Norwegian training based on a few individual losses as it would be to anoint it the “next step” on the basis of a few individual wins. But if Ingebrigtsen keeps losing, that’s going to reinforce doubts about whether his approach is as effective for head-to-head racing as it is for time trials. There are plenty of caveats: for example, an Achilles injury disrupted Ingebrigtsen’s training for several months over the winter. But there are also other questions. What has happened to his older brothers Henrik and Filip? Both were world-class milers in their own right, but both have been struggling in recent years, as have other prominent Norwegian athletes like Olympic triathlon champion Kristian Blummenfeld, raising questions about the sustainability of the Norwegian approach.

And then there’s the fact that, despite all the hype about the mile, the real marquee event at Pre turned out to be the women’s 10,000 meters, where Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet became the first woman to dip under 29 minutes with a world-record clocking of 28:54.14. Kenyan runners (and their Ethiopian rivals) have been at the top for so long that it’s easy to take their dominance for granted. When I was in college in the 1990s, we were all fascinated by “the Kenyan Way.” That was the subtitle of Toby Tanser’s 1997 book, Train Hard, Win Easy. The secret, of course, was that there was no secret. There was a famous (and almost certainly apocryphal) anecdote about a Kenyan coach who was asked what separated his top runners from the merely good ones. All of them had grown up running to and from school each day, he explained; the champions also went home for lunch.

Part of the current fascination with the Norwegian training method is the suggestion that there is, in fact, a secret—a quantifiable formula, expressed in milimoles per liter of lactate in your blood, to optimize your training, rather than simply an admonition to work hard. But that’s a reductive view of what Ingebrigtsen and his Nordic peers are aiming for. The underlying philosophy of Norwegian training is that a harder workout isn’t always a better one, because it will take too long to recover from. This is hardly a new insight, but in the great merry-go-round of training fads, it was perhaps overdue for a resurgence.

In fact, the original Mile of the Century had a similar subtext. Bannister was the light-training amateur who ran on his lunch hour; Landy was a workout hero with “an insatiable appetite for interval running,” as Bannister wrote. “The great contrast in our training methods was not lost of the Press.” Bannister won the race, but it’s Landy’s training approach that proved to be more influential on subsequent generations. As Ingebrigtsen’s final showdown with his rivals in Paris looms, that’s worth remembering: even if he loses, and even if we decide that lactate meters are unnecessarily complicated, we might still have something to learn from his unorthodox training.

Is Beatrice Chebet Kenya's best bet for double gold at Paris Olympics?

With Olympic glory beckoning, is Beatrice Chebet Kenya's smart bet for double gold?

Two-time World cross country champion Beatrice Chebet is one of the Kenyan long-distance runners who are always known to show up when it matters and she stunned the whole world this past weekend with her world record.

Chebet, the world 5000m bronze medallist, competing in her second 10,000m event since she started her career, became the first woman in history to run under 29 minutes over the 25-lap race.

The 24-year-old stopped the clock at 28:54.14 to shatter Letesenbet Gidey’s world record time and automatically earn herself a spot in the women’s 10,000m team to the Paris 2024 Olympics where she has expressed interest in doubling in the 5000m and 10,000m.

After her world record feat at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene, Chebet said: “I came to run the 10,000m in order to get qualification and a great position for Paris because I want to double. I’m happy because it’s my first time to be on an Olympic team and with good health and hard work, I will medal again in Paris and that will be my favourite medal.”

The former world silver medallist will be making her debut at the Olympics and as far as things stand, she might just be the surprise winner in the two distances.

She has been in impeccable form this season, following her world record on the New Year’s Eve at the Cursa dels Nassos where she clocked an impressive 14:13 in the 5km road race.

The Commonwealth Games 5000m champion then proceeded to successfully defend her cross-country title in Belgrade, Serbia going up against a strong field that included world 10km record holder Agnes Jebet and Sirikwa Classic Cross-Country champion Emmaculate Anyango.

She opened her track season at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, Qatar, flooring a strong Ethiopian contingent to win the women’s 5000m race. So far this season, it is evident that Chebet is a strong contender for the top prizes in Paris and no one is going to stop her.

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon is yet to open her season following a slight injury setback and she might pose as Chebet’s closest challenger, but until then, the National Police Officer is in the right shape to carry the day in the city of love.

Josh Kerr beats 39-year-old British mile record and rival Ingebrigtsen in Eugene

Josh Kerr smashed Steve Cram’s 39-year-old British record to claim victory in the mile race at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon. The Scottish runner won a highly anticipated showdown with his Norwegian rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen thanks to a remarkable world-leading run of 3min 45.34sec.

Cram, who was commentating on the race for the BBC, had held the British record since 1985 with a time of 3:46.32.

The Olympic 1500m champion, Ingebrigtsen, who was stunned by Kerr in that event at last year’s world championships in Budapest, finished second, with the Britons Neil Gourley and Jake Wightman in fourth and fifth respectively.

Earlier, Keely Hodgkinson produced a dominant display to win the women’s 800m. The 22-year-old clocked a world-leading time of one minute 55.78 secs, while compatriot Jemma Reekie was third – behind Kenyan Mary Moraa – in a time of 1min 57.45sec.

Sha’Carri Richardson, the world champion won in her first women’s 100m of the Olympic year in a time of 10.83sec ahead of St Lucia’s Julien Alfred (10.93) and Dina Asher-Smith, whose time of 10.98 was a season best for the Briton.

Laura Muir continued preparations for this summer’s Olympics in Paris with fourth place in the women’s 1500m in a season’s best 3min 56.35sec. The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist said: “I want to be in the best shape I can for August, so it’s a step towards that to run 56 [seconds] in May. It’s very promising.”

Elsewhere, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet set a new world record of 28min 54.14sec to win the women’s 10,000m. Chebet bested the previous record of 29.01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on 8 June 2021.Chebet finished ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who finished in 29min 5.92sec in cloudy and cool temperatures. Chebet started to pull away with three laps to go, then poured herself into the final lap. “My body was responding good and I felt strong,” she said. “I felt like I was very comfortable.”

It was her first 10,000m race since 2020, in Nairobi. Chebet, 24, won the silver medal at the 5,000m at the world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. She won the bronze in the event at the worlds last year.

The finish qualified her for her first Olympics this summer in Paris. She said she hopes to double in the 5,000m and 10,000m. “But my target is to run 5,000m first, then 10,000m comes second,” she said. “Because this is my first 10,000m outside the country to run, and I’m so happy to run 28, a world record.”

The Prefontaine Classic is the lone American stop on the international Diamond League series.

Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 10,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday

Kenyan Beatrice Chebet broke the women’s 10,000m world record at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday.

Chebet, 24, clocked 28 minutes, 54.15 seconds at Hayward Field in her first 10,000m race since March 2020.

She became the first woman to break 29 minutes in the event, beating Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidey’s previous world record of 29:01.03 from 2021.

Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay placed second on Saturday in 29:05.92, the third-fastest time in history.

Mile clash the big attraction in Eugene

Going strictly by time, the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday (25) is one of the fastest races in the meeting’s 49-year history.

Add in the storylines, and it’s one of the most anticipated, too.

Featuring seven men with lifetime bests faster than 3:50, Olympic and world championship gold medallists, world record-holders and rivals whose banter has preceded the matchup for months, the mile caps a Wanda Diamond League meeting at Hayward Field whose potential for world-leading marks extends far beyond its final event.

Consider, for one, the women’s 800m, and the early window it will open into this summer’s Olympics. The field includes six of the eight competitors from last year’s World Championships final in Budapest, including gold medallist Mary Moraa and silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson. Notably absent will be bronze medallist Athing Mu, the Olympic champion, who was initially scheduled to race but has been withdrawn out of precaution because of a sore hamstring.

Raevyn Rogers, the 2019 world silver medallist whose image adorns a tower standing high above Hayward Field, also is entered, along with Jemma Reekie, Nia Akins and Halimah Nakaayi, who is coming off a victory at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.

World champion Sha’Carri Richardson and Elaine Thompson-Herah headline the women’s 100m, along with world indoor 60m champion Julien Alfred and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, while world indoor 60m champion Christian Coleman and Ackeem Blake are among the fastest entered in the men's 100m.

Perhaps the most dominant athlete entering the meeting is Grant Holloway, the world 110m hurdles champion who has won all 10 races he has contested this year, including the indoor season and heats. That also includes running a world-leading 13.07 into a headwind to win in Atlanta last weekend.

The three-time world champion's last loss came on the very same Hayward Field track, at last September’s Prefontaine Classic. The only remaining gap on Holloway’s resume is an Olympic gold medal, and Saturday’s race could be an early preview of Paris, as the field includes five who raced in last summer’s World Championships final in Budapest, including silver medallist Hansle Parchment and Daniel Roberts, who earned bronze.

Shot put world record-holder and multiple world and Olympic champion Ryan Crouser will open his outdoor season in his home state and at the stadium where he owns the facility record, while trying to best Leonardo Fabbri’s world-leading mark of 22.95m.

Since 2023, Crouser has lost in just one final – and it was at September’s Prefontaine Classic to Joe Kovacs, who won in Los Angeles last weekend with 22.93m, and is entered again. Payton Otterdahl, who owns the world No.3 mark this year, also is in the field.

Those events offer no shortage of global medallists. Few, however, carry the prospect for as much drama as the mile.

Over the past year, Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr, who outkicked Ingebrigtsen for last year’s world title in Budapest, have carried on a battle of words through the press about who could prevail in Paris.

Commonwealth champion Olli Hoare, who is part of the field following his 1500m win in Los Angeles last week, said the sport was better for the attention drawn by the back-and-forth between Ingebrigtsen and Kerr – but added that other racers wanted to strike the appropriate level of respect for their competitors, such as Yared Nuguse, whose PB of 3:43.97 was set battling Ingebrigtsen (4:43.73) down to the line at September’s Pre Classic.

“This is a big one. This is going to be a big one for a lot of egos,” Hoare said in Los Angeles. “But I think it’s going to be a big one for me because it’ll be the first race where I’ll have an inkling of where I am with the world’s best. There’s a bit of tossing and turning with the banter but you can’t disrespect that field. If you do, you’ll get eaten alive.”

That list of seven men under 3:50, which includes Hoare, notably doesn’t include Jake Wightman, who will be racing Ingebrigtsen for the first time since their duel at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, when Wightman won gold; Abel Kipsang, who was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics; Geordie Beamish, less than three months after he stormed to the world indoor title; or Lamecha Girma, the steeplechase world record-holder who is making his mile debut.

“Jake Wightman’s back, he’s a world champion,” Hoare said. “Yared Nuguse, 3:43 mile – these guys are keeping quiet and they’re going to wait for their opportunity to strike. And when they do strike, I guarantee they will make a comment.”

They are not the only accomplished names entered in the distances.

Athletics Kenya will determine its men's and women's Olympic 10,000m qualifiers at Hayward Field, with Kenya's two-time world cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet, the world leader at 5000m this season, part of a women's race that will include world champion Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, eight months after Tsegay set the world 5000m record on the same track.

World record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech will attempt to retain her controlling hold over the steeplechase when she races top challenger Faith Cherotich. The Kenyan duo produced the two fastest times in the world this year at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, which Chepkoech won in 8:55.40 to Cherotich’s 9:05.91. Olympic silver medallist Courtney Frerichs will no longer run after injuring the ACL and meniscus in her right knee.

One week after winning in Los Angeles, Diribe Welteji leads the 1500m field that includes 13 women who have run under four minutes. World indoor 3000m champion Elle St Pierre, who won the 5000m in Los Angeles, is running her first 1500m of the season, with Laura Muir, Nikki Hiltz, Jessica Hull, Hirut Meshesha and Cory McGee also entered.

Multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Sifan Hassan, as well as world No.2 Ejgayehu Taye, will feature in the 5000m.

In the field, world and Olympic pole vault champion Katie Moon opens her outdoor season against Sandi Morris, and in the triple jump four of the top five women this season are entered, led by Thea LaFond, whose 15.01m jump to win the world indoor title in Glasgow still stands as the mark to beat.

Olympic discus champion Valarie Allman has not lost in Eugene in two years, a run that includes claiming September’s Diamond League final. That could change on Saturday because of the presence of world leader Yaime Perez, who finished second to Allman in Xiamen last month.

In the men’s 200m, top US sprinters who will duel at the Olympic trials only weeks later will face off. Kenny Bednarek, fresh off a world-leading 19.67 in Doha, is scheduled to race against world No.2 Courtney Lindsey (19.71), with world silver medallist Erriyon Knighton making his season debut. Joe Fahnbulleh and Kyree King, winner of the Los Angeles Grand Prix 100m, are also entered.

Another winner in Los Angeles, Rai Benjamin, headlines the men’s 400m hurdles, and he enters with considerable confidence after running 46.64, the ninth-fastest performance of all time.

“I think I’m the fastest guy in the field, honestly,” Benjamin said of potential Olympic chances.

The women’s 100m hurdles and women’s hammer will not count towards Diamond League points totals, but will be more potential previews for global championships.

Women who account for five of the year’s six fastest times, all of whom are separated by fractions of a second, will face off in the hurdles. Tonea Marshall, fresh off her victory in Los Angeles in 12.42, leads 2019 world champion Nia Ali, Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, two-time world champion Danielle Williams and world indoor champion Devynne Charlton.

Brooke Andersen’s 79.92m throw from earlier this month remains the world-leading hammer mark this season but she will be challenged by world champion Camryn Rogers, 2019 world champion DeAnna Price and world silver medallist Janee’ Kassanavoid, who own the next three farthest throws this season.

Ngetich smashes world 10km record with 28:46 in Valencia

Kenya's Agnes Ngetich obliterated the women's world 10km record by running 28:46* at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja, a World Athletics Label road race, on Sunday (14).

The 22-year-old becomes the first woman to break 29 minutes for the distance, improving by 28 seconds the previous road mixed race world record set by Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw in Castellon two years ago.

World cross country bronze medallist Ngetich was paced in the Spanish coastal city by her compatriot Japheth Kipkemboi Kosgei and the first world record fell at half way as Ngetich went through the 5km checkpoint in 14:13. That is six seconds faster than the women’s world record achieved in a mixed race, set by Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye in Barcelona in 2021, and matches the time Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet set in a woman-only race in Barcelona a fortnight ago.

Ngetich’s 10km time is also faster than the women's world record for the distance on the track, with Letesenbet Gidey’s world 10,000m record standing at 29:01.03.

Emmaculate Anyango also dipped under 29 minutes in Valencia, clocking 28:57 to finish runner-up to her compatriot Ngetich.

"I am so happy. I didn't expect this world record," said Ngetich. "I was coming to improve my time, at least somewhere around 29:14, but I am happy that I ran a world record of 28 minutes. I didn't expect this."

She will now focus on the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Belgrade 24 in March and then the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where athletics will be the No.1 sport in August.

The men’s race was won by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in 26:48.

World 5km record falls to Beatrice Chebet

Kenyan clocks 14:13 at New Year’s Eve event in Barcelona to take six seconds off Ejgayehu Taye’s mark

Beatrice Chebet ended 2023 in style with a world 5km record of 14:13 on the roads of Barcelona in the Cursa dels Nassos event on New Year’s Eve.

Runner-up was Ejgayehu Taye in 14:21 with Lilian Rengeruk third in 14:25.

Taye held the previous world 5km record with 14:19 from the same Cursa dels Nassos from 2021, although Taye’s run two years ago came in a mixed gender race.

On Sunday (Dec 31) Chebet’s performance therefore not only beat Taye’s mark but smashed the women-only world record of 14:29 which was set by Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi in Herzogenaurach in September 2021

Cursa dels Nassos 2023 aspires to break the women's 5km world record

The participation of the Kenyans Beatrice Chebet and Lilian Kasait and the Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye, world medalists, will be the great incentive of the Cursa dels Nassos 2023, which on December 31 aims to break the women's world record in the 5 kilometer race.

"We have made a very clear commitment to first-rate female representation. We wanted to have the podium at the last world championship in road athletics, which will make us a world reference in women's sports," said the Sports Councilor of Barcelona City Council. , David Escudé.

Escudé stressed that the objective of the contest will be to beat the world record for five kilometers in an exclusively female race.

"It is the record we are missing," said the councilor. The Cursa dels Nassos, which will reach its 25th edition and will organize an international 5 kilometer race for four consecutive years, still holds the men's and women's world records in a mixed race, established in 2021 by the Ethiopians Berihu Aregawi (12:49) and Ejgayehu Taye (14:21).

The possibility of breaking the women's record will be the great incentive of the last sporting event of the year. In the World Athletics Championships held last October in Riga (Latvia), Chebet came first (14:35), followed by Kasait (14:39) and Taye (14:40).

In the men's category, the participation of the refugee athlete from South Sudan living in Switzerland Dominic Lobalu stands out, whose best record in the 5,000 meters is 12:52, who will compete against some of the best distance specialists, among whom There are 18 athletes who clock less than 14:00, such as the Spanish Ilias Fifa and Abdesamad Oukhelfen.

Edinah Jebitok and Ronald Kwemoi reign in Seville

Edinah Jebitok and Ronald Kwemoi achieved a Kenyan double at the Cross Internacional de Italica, the fourth World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting of the season, held on the outskirts of Seville on Sunday (12).

Making their debuts at the event, Jebitok and Kwemoi claimed the titles on a sunny and pleasant afternoon after respective sprint finishes against Ethiopia's world U20 champion Senayet Getachew and Kenya's Hillary Chepkwony.

In the absence of pre-race favourite Beatrice Chebet, who withdrew on the eve of the event because of illness, the women's 9918m contest opened at a brisk pace set by Jebitok, who only had her compatriot Winnie Jemutai, Ethiopians Getachew and Wede Kefale, and Uganda's Annet Chelangat for company just one minute into the race. Way back, Britain's Amelia Quirk, Kate Axford and Phoebe Barker led the chasing group alongside Spain's European U20 champion Maria Forero and her compatriot Carolina Robles.

Jebitok broke away from the rest of the lead group at the start of the second 2450m circuit and built a five-second margin over Getachew midway through that lap. Getachew was another four seconds clear of Jemutai and gradually she reeled in Jebitok, until they were running together at the helm midway through the race. Jemutai was a lonesome third, while Kefale and Chelangat were further back. Behind them, Quirk and Forero took turns leading their group, followed by Robles and Axford.

Throughout the penultimate loop, Jebitok and Getachew tried to lose each other but neither managed to do so. By the bell, the pair had built a 20-second margin ahead of Jemutai, while Forero and Quirk were in sixth and seventh place, and would fight to be the first European home.

Already on the closing lap with the clock reading 25:40, Jebitok unleashed another kick and was able to leave Getachew behind for the second time, opening a six-second margin with 1000m remaining. Much to the delight of the large crowd watching, the Ethiopian bounced back and passed Jebitok with some 500m remaining. Jebitok then found another gear and reached the narrow final bend a few metres ahead, but to the astonishment of the crowd she stopped in the belief that she had crossed the finish line.

Getachew took advantage and overtook her, entering the home straight in the lead, but Jebitok – a 1500m specialist – didn't surrender and passed her rival in the final metre to win by the narrowest of margins. Both athletes were credited with a finishing time of 32:39, well clear of Jemutai who was third in 33:37. Chelangat was fourth and Kefale fifth, while 20-year-old Forero got the better of Quirk to secure sixth.

“I'm so satisfied with my European tour as I have won twice and was runner-up in Atapuerca,” said Jebitok. “My main goal is to be the overall victor of this season's Cross Country Tour.”

Kwemoi maintains momentum

The men's race was also held over 9918m and witnessed an early lead by the in-form Kwemoi, as the 28-year-old – who set the world U20 1500m record in 2014 – set a brisk pace that could only be followed by his compatriots Chepkwony and Ishmael Kipkurui, the world U20 champion, plus Burundi's Rodrigue Kwizera and Uganda's Martin Kiprotich. The opening lap was covered in 7:07, with the lead group also featuring the Spanish pair of world 5000m silver medallist Mo Katir and Abdessamad Oukhelfen, the 2019 European U23 cross country bronze medallist.

Clocking 7:17 for the second lap, Kiprotich, Kwemoi and Kwizera took on most of the pacing duties and Kipkurui and Chepkwony tucked behind. Some 6.7km into the race first Oukhelfen and then Katir could not live with the increasingly quick lead pace and lost ground. By the bell (7:13 for the penultimate lap), five men remained in contention while Katir and Oukhelfen travelled five and seven seconds in arrears, respectively.

The closing lap became more than thrilling as Kwizera pushed hard, trying to avoid a massive sprint, but the Burundian’s efforts only managed to leave Kiprotich behind, while Kwemoi, Kipkurui and Chepkwony, who ran conservatively always at the back of the main group, remained at Kwizera's shoulder.

The next casualty was Kipkurui and the race turned into a fascinating three-horse battle. Chepkwony moved to the front for the first time with around 500m remaining and his change of speed could not be replicated by Kwizera. Chepkwony reached the final bend still ahead of Kwemoi, but the latter finally prevailed after an epic battle for the win.

Beatrice Chebet ready to star in Seville

The Cross Internacional de Itálica in Santiponce on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Seville – the fourth Gold standard meeting in the current World Athletics Cross Country Tour – always boasts a mouth-watering line-up, and this year’s race on Sunday (12) is no exception.

Entries for the women’s race, contested over 9.9km, are headed by Kenya’s world cross-country and 5km champion Beatrice Chebet. The 23-year-old triumphed in Atapuerca two weeks ago and will be looking for her first victory here after her runner-up place in 2020 and a third place the following year.

The world 5000m bronze medalist will be joined by her compatriot Edinah Jebitok, who was eighth at the World Cross in Bathurst and third in Atapuerca. The 1500m specialist was also a clear winner in San Sebastian last weekend.

World U20 cross-country champion Senayet Getachew and fellow Ethiopian Wede Kefale – who was 15th in the senior women’s race at this year’s World Cross – will also be in contention for a podium place.

Uganda's Anne Chelangat, 13th at the World Cross and third last week in San Sebastián, is another strong contender.

World and Olympic finalist Nadia Battocletti will be racing in Santiponce for the first time. She recently placed fifth in the 5km at the World Road Running Championships in Riga, finishing just 10 seconds shy of Chebet, so will be trying her best to stay in contention with the Kenyan on Sunday.

The line-up also includes Spanish steeplechasers Irene Sánchez-Escribano and Carolina Robles plus European U20 cross-country champion María Forero and Britain's Amelia Quirk, who was 25th in Bathurst.

The men’s 9.9km contest looks set to be a three-way battle between the Kenyan pair of Ronald Kwemoi and Ishmael Kipkurui plus Burundi's Rodrigue Kwizera.

The 28-year-old Kwemoi will compete for the third consecutive time on Spanish ground after his runner-up spot in Atapuerca two weeks ago and a narrow win over Kipkurui last Sunday in San Sebastián. On that occasion, world U20 cross-country champion Kipkurui pushed hard for most of the race but he couldn't avoid being overtaken by world U20 1500m record-holder Kwemoi in a thrilling sprint finish with the two men being separated by one second.

Their Kenyan compatriot Hillary Chepkwoni, fresh from a huge PB of 58:53 at the Valencia Half Marathon three weeks ago, will also be on the start line.

Kwizera, co-winner of the 2022-2023 World Cross Country Tour, finished eighth at the World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst at the start of 2023. More recently he placed third in Atapuerca where he was beaten by Kwemoi over the closing stages but grabbed an easy victory last weekend in his Spanish base of Castellón at a low-key cross country race.

Eritrea’s Aron Kifle, the 2018 world half marathon bronze medalist, will be making his 2023 cross country debut on Sunday. He’ll be joined by compatriot Merhawi Mebrahtu, the world U20 5000m silver medalist, who finished second in Amorebieta and ninth in Atapuerca the following week.

Uganda’s 2022 world 5000m bronze medalist Oscar Chelimo, who recently finished third in San Sebastian, will contend for a top-five finish on Sunday. The 21-year-old will be joined by his compatriot Martin Kiprotich, who finished 18th at the World Cross in Bathurst.

The Spanish contingent will be headed by Mohamed Katir. The world 5000m silver medalist has been training in the altitude of Sierra Nevada since mid-October and will be back there right after the race for another week. He has planned a quiet cross-country campaign with only a few appearances.

Other Spaniards in the line-up include the in-form Abdessamad Oukhelfen, who was fourth in San Sebastian behind Chelimo, 2017 European cross-country silver medalist Adel Mechaal and national silver medalist Sergio Paniagua.

Adrian Ben, who finished fourth over 800m at this year’s World Championships, could also be in contention. The 25-year-old was a 1500m specialist at the beginning of his career and there's talk of a potential move back up in distance ahead of the Paris Olympics. Ben is fresh from a cross country victory over 5km in his native Lugo last Sunday when he defeated steeplechaser Víctor Ruiz.

Other noteworthy middle-distance specialists in the line-up include European U20 1500m and 5000m champion Niels Laros of the Netherlands and Britain's newly-minted world mile silver medalist Callum Elson.

Famous previous winners in Santiponce include Kenenisa Bekele (2003, 2004 and 2007), Fernando Mamede (1984 and 1985), Paul Kipkoech (1987 and 1988), Paul Tergat (1998 and 1999), Moses Kipsiro (2008 and 2009), Leonard Komon (2010 and 2011), Linet Masai (2010 and 2012) and Paula Radcliffe (2001), among others.

Weather forecasters predict a sunny and windless day with temperatures in the 20-22C range by the time of the event.

Chebets sets focus on 2024 Olympic Games after stellar season

Commonwealth Games 5000m champion Beatrice Chebet has said she has honed her skills sufficiently to secure a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

Chebet, who blazed to the bronze medal in her specialty at the Budapest World Championships in July, said she is ready to secure the coveted gold at the quadrennial global extravaganza that will be held in July and August.  

"I have prepared well for the Olympics and I'm grateful for the fine form I've accomplished this year," Chebet said in an exclusive interview.

"Winning an Olympic medal is everyone's dream and I am no different," she added. 

Chebet spoke a couple of days after storming the gold medal in the 5km race at the inaugural World Road Running Championships held in Riga on Sunday. 

The victory confirmed her status as a dominant force on the international front.

She cruised through the course in an amazing 14:35 to register the fifth fastest time in the history of the 5km road race ahead of compatriot Lilian Rengeruk, and Ethiopia's Ejgayehu Taye, who settled for the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The victory further embellished her rich trophy cabinet which also boasts a gold bagged at the World Cross Country championship held in Bathurst, Australia in February.

Chebet said the presence of compatriot Faith Kipyegon in the race is a great source of inspiration, adding that she is not quaking in the boots at the mere thought of facing her over the distance. 

Despite crashing to Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands in the 5000m at the World Championships in Belgrade, Hungary, Chebet said she will do her best to reclaim her bragging rights in the 12-lap race.

 "It will make the race all the more interesting and I believe the country is bound to benefit immensely if we field a strong team in Paris," Chebet said. 

"Her presence in the race will also take the competition a notch higher," she added. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved Kenya's request to field Kipyegon in both the 1500m and the 5000m races at the upcoming Paris Games. 

Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay sets 5,000m world record at Prefontaine Classic

On Sunday afternoon at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, Ore., world 10,000m champion Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay almost achieved the unthinkable: breaking the women’s 5,000m world record in 14:00.20—nearly becoming the first woman in history to run a 5K under 14 minutes.

Tsegay surpassed the previous 5,000m world record of 14:05.20 by five seconds, which was set by her rival Faith Kipyegon earlier this year at the Paris Diamond League. Tsegay battled with world cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet until the final three laps when the Ethiopian pulled ahead.

The pace for the 5,000m final was set for 14:00 flat, with the pacers taking Tsegay and Chebet through 3,000m in 8:26.03. Tsegay threw down a 2:09 final 800m to shake off Chebet and become the first woman to threaten the 14-minute 5K barrier.

Chebet finished second behind Tsegay in 14:05.92, the third-fastest time in history. Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye rounded out the Diamond League 5,000m final podium in 14:21.52. Kipyegon chose to run the 1,500m on Saturday and did not enter the women’s 5,000m at the Prefontaine Classic.

Tsegay had an up-and-down 2023 season, winning the world 10,000m title in Budapest, then finishing a disappointing 13th place in the world 5,000m final several days later.

This is the second world record of Tsegay’s career. In 2021, she ran an indoor 1,500m world record of 3:53.09 in northern France.

Beatrice Chebet sets lofty target ahead of next year's Paris Olympic Games

Chebet will be making her first appearance at the Olympic Games and she has already set her priorities right.

After closing the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary with a bronze medal in the women’s 5000m, Beatrice Chebet is now plotting a gold medal at next year’s Paris Olympic Games.

In a post-race interview after setting a world-leading time at the Xiamen Diamond League, she noted that she will be contesting for a gold medal but a podium finish will also be a great thing for her.

“I’m contesting for the gold medal but as long as I finish on the podium I think that will be okay,” she said.

The 23-year-old will be competing alongside compatriot Faith Kipyegon, who is also the current world record holder in the 1500m and 5000m. Kipyegon will be vying to bag double victory in the 1500m and 5000m.

However, before then, Chebet will be seeking to defend her Diamond League Final Trophy when she heads to the Meeting in Eugene, USA.

She won last year’s final which was held in Zurich, Switzerland in style and she will be seeking to bag back-to-back titles.

“I want to finish my season in Eugene, the last Diamond League then maybe I will go for a break then come back for training as I prepare for the Olympics,” Chebet said.

She also reflected on the outing in Budapest, Hungary, and noted that it was not a walk in the park since there were strong athletes on the field. Kipyegon and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan finished first and second respectively.

“Budapest was not easy because there was a strong field with Faith, Sifan, and the Ethiopians. I’m glad I finished third,” he said.

Faith Kipyegon contemplates doubling at World Championships

Double world record holder Faith Kipyegon is contemplating whether to compete in both the 1500m and 5000m at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August.

Kipyegon who holds the world records for the two distances said she is consulting widely before making a decision.

Speaking when she was named the LG/Sports Journalists Association of Kenya player of the month for June, Kipyegon said: "I will start my journey of defending my world title at the national trials this weekend."

"However, I am still consulting on whether I should double at the World Championships."

Kipyegon, a two-time Olympic champion over 1500m, said since she is qualified for Budapest after winning the world title in Oregon last year, she will compete in the 5000m race at the Athletics Kenya trials set for Friday and Saturday at the Nyayo Stadium.

This, she said, will also form part of her preaparations for the July 21 Monaco Diamond League.

At her training base at Global Sports Communication in Kaptagat, Uasin Gishu county, Kipyegon was crowned by the scribes after running two consecutive world records over 1500m and 5000m last month.

In Florence, Italy, on June 2, Kipyegon tore Genzebe Dibaba's record over 1500m with a new world mark of 3:49.11 over 1500m.

She was at it again in Paris a week later as she timed a new world record of 14:05.20 over 5000m.

“I’m so happy to be among the few athletes to win this award more than twice,” Kipyegon said.

“It's always good to see corporate entities acknowledge the good work of athletes. I am thankful to LG for their efforts to whip up the enthusiasm of sportsmen and women in this country. The win in Florence boosted my confidence levels and I feel I have to continue pushing for better track limits.”

She becomes the second athlete, after Angela Okutoyi, to win the SJAK award thrice. Kipyegon beat five other nominees among them Commonwealth Games champion Beatrice Chebet who produced a scintillating run to clinch the 3,000m title at the Oslo Diamond League in eight minutes, 25.01 seconds, which also counted as the latter's new personal best and world leading time.

Others were Carl Tundo and McRae Kimathi for their WRC2 and WRC3 finishes on the Safari Rally,  Moses Shumah for scoring Harambee Stars solitary goal at the Four Nations Tournament, Emma Wangila Nekesa for being the only African wrestler and Kenyan to have qualified for the World Beach Games in Indonesia.

Maureen Kemunto, LG East Africa Corporate Marketing and communication manager, said: “LG has been actively supporting the identification and recognition of sporting talent in Kenya through a partnership with SJAK."

"The purpose of this award is to recognise exceptional Kenyan sportsmen and women for their achievements across diverse disciplines each month and also to signify our commitment to contribute to the development of sport in the country."

SJAK President James Waindi congratulated Kipyegon and thanked LG for their continued support over the past eight years.

“With the monthly award, we are seeing a growing number of upcoming and talented sports personalities among them Angela Okutoyi who won the Wimbledon Open Junior category and won this award for a record three times, "said Waindi.

" Rewarding sportsmen and women is an important step towards whipping up the enthusiasm of sports personalities across all disciplines.”

Kenyan Beatrice Chebet eyes podium finish in Budapest after Stockholm victory

The world cross country champion Beatrice Chebet has her eyes trained at setting a personal best and a podium finish in the 5000m race in world championships in Budapest, Hungary next month.

Chebet's sentiments come on the back of winning the Diamond League meet in Stockholm on Sunday where she cut the tape in a time of 14:36.52. 

"My main goal now is the new PB at 5000m, so maybe in London, if the conditions are good, I can try to do it. My body is in perfect shape so anything is possible,” said Chebet in a post-race interview.

The world silver medalist turned up the heat in the final lap beating the Ethiopian duo of world indoor 3000m champion Lemlem Hailu (14:38.06) and 18-year-old Medina Eisa (14:40.02) to second and third respectively.

This was the second consecutive Diamond League victory for Chebet following her 3000m triumph in Oslo, Norway on June 15.  

The 23-year-old said she was undeterred by the wet weather conditions at the Olympic Stadium.

‘The first thing was to get the win. The second was to fight the tough conditions. Yes, the weather was not really good but you need to run in any conditions. It was not easy to finish the race,” she added.

On the World Championships she said: "I am already thinking about Budapest where my main target is to get on the podium in my specialty."

Two world records and a house for Kenya's Kipyegon

Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who recently set world records in the 1500m and 5000m, has received a house and 5 million KES ($35,000) following her historic feats in Florence and Paris this month.

Kipyegon met with Kenyan President William Ruto on her return to her home country, with Ruto pledging a similar monetary reward for Kenya’s future world record-breakers.

The awarding of a house to Kipyegon follows the announcement on 30 May of a new scheme in Kenya that is designed to help athletes to own property and invest their earnings. It is particularly important for female athletes, who will now be able to buy a house under their sole name.

Kipyegon – the first recipient of the scheme – ran 3:49.11 to break the world 1500m record in Florence on 2 June and a week later the 29-year-old clocked 14:05.20 in Paris to add the world 5000m record to her ever-expanding CV.

She met with Ruto at State House in Nairobi and was joined at the ceremony by her husband Timothy Kitum, the 2012 Olympic 800m bronze medallist, and their daughter Alyn.

The new scheme is the result of a partnership between Athletics Kenya and Kenyan banking institution Housing Finance Group that offers athletes affordable home ownership, financing at incentivised Kenya Mortgage Refinancing rates and links to strategic affordable housing developers.

“It is a no-brainer that having a decent shelter is one of the basic needs for human survival. Yet, for all its importance, decent housing is one of the biggest challenges that millions of Kenyans face in this country,” said Athletics Kenya President Jackson Tuwei during the launch of the partnership in Nairobi, where Hon. Ababu Namwamba, the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts, was chief guest.

“Among those affected are Kenyan sportsmen and women who struggle with balancing putting a decent roof over their heads and pursuing their ambitions on the track and field.”

Beatrice Chebet, Beatrice Chepkoech, Dan Kiviasi, Mary Moraa, Wiseman Were, Wilfred Bungei, Milcah Chemos, Catherine Ndereba, John Ngugi and William Tanui were among the current and former athletes who were present at the launch ceremony.

From Bathurst to Budapest, Chebet is motivated for more

While winning a global gold medal might be the pinnacle of the year – if not career – for many athletes, Beatrice Chebet remains motivated for another title to add to her ever-expanding CV.

The world 5000m silver medallist became the world cross country champion in February, winning the senior women’s race and leading the Kenyan squad to the team title at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23. Now the 23-year-old has turned her attention back to the track as she plots her path to the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 in August.

Chebet started her season on a high note, winning the 5000m at the Kip Keino Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Nairobi, Kenya, on 13 May.

Her victory in front of a home crowd at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani was a good indication that her training is going well, and on the right course, for her next big goal: to win the world 5000m title in Budapest.

“I will be happy if I place on the podium this year in Budapest, although my main aim – which I know should be the same for all the runners who will be running at the World Championships – is the gold medal,” Chebet says. “However, I will be thankful for any medal I get there.”

On the morning of 23 August, Chebet – who already has a wild card place to run in Budapest after winning the 2022 Wanda Diamond League title, subject to selection by her national federation – will be standing at the start line for the heats of the women’s 5000m at the National Athletics Centre to begin her quest for the world title. But, with all the best runners in the world yearning for gold, she knows it won’t be easy.

From her experiences during past battles on the world stage, Chebet believes that the Ethiopian runners and some of her Kenyan compatriots are likely to be her main rivals. The defending champion, who won the 5000m title in a close race ahead of Chebet in Oregon, for example, is Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay. Another Ethiopian athlete, Letesenbet Gidey, is the world record-holder who had looked on course to beat Chebet to the world cross country title in Bathurst before she fell in the closing stages.

Chebet had similar encounters when winning her world U20 5000m title and world U20 cross country gold in 2019. In the latter, she won in a photo finish ahead of Ethiopia’s Alemitu Tariku and Tsigie Gebreselama as they all clocked 20:50 for the 6km race.

“I talked with Gidey some time after the incident in Bathurst, and she was doing well, health wise, and looking forward to coming back strong,” Chebet says.

Their rivalry is a friendly one. When asked whether she thinks Gidey will be looking forward to revenge in their next competition, Chebet replies: “We didn’t talk about competing against each other. It was to check up on her.”

While the rest of her 2023 racing calendar is yet to be confirmed, Chebet – who has a 5000m PB of 14:34.55 that she ran at the Oslo Diamond League in 2021 – will be hoping to remain a strong presence in the 12-and-a-half lap discipline this year.

“My training is going on well,” she says. “I am working hard and praying to God for good health and that everything else goes well. In my races this year, I will watch and hope to see continuous progress. I know all will go well with good training.”

Chebet currently trains in Kericho, on the undulating and beautiful landscapes of Kenyan tea plantations, under coach Gabriel Kiptanui as part of the Kericho Athletics Club.

Being part of the same training group and working with the same coach that guided her during her great 2022 season seems to be a good forecast of what Chebet’s season could look like this year.

“I hope I have another good year, like last year,” she adds.

So far, her career highlight was when, at the age of 18, she won her first gold medal at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. It was a tough battle in the final 400m of the race between Chebet and Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye, who Chebet edged at the finish line by a mere 0.10. Taye’s compatriot, Girmawit Gebrzihair, completed the podium.

“Of all the medals and titles that I have ever won, the one that I cherish the most is the world U20 gold medal that I won at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere in 2018,” Chebet says of the 5000m victory that ended a 10-year winning streak by Ethiopian athletes. “It was my first big victory, so I will not forget it.”

Since then, Chebet has remained a force to be reckoned with in the women’s 5000m event. She won the African U20 title in 2019 and the African senior title last year in Mauritius, before she claimed her silver medal at the World Championships in Oregon and gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Can she emulate her 2022 success this year? It looks good so far, and a world title in Budapest would be the icing on the cake.

Eilish McColgan smashes UK half-marathon record in Berlin

Victory on the roads of Germany and yet another national mark for the 30-year-old as she continues her London Marathon preparations in style

Eilish McColgan sliced 43 seconds off her own UK half-marathon record of 66:26 as she won the Generali Berlin Half Marathon in 65:43 on Sunday (April 2).

The performance comes just one month after she broke Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing British 10,000m record with 30:00.86 and in Berlin she narrowly missed the fastest-ever half-marathon by a British woman of 65:40 which was set by Radcliffe at the Great North Run – a course that is ineligible for records – in 2003.

That same year Radcliffe ran 2:15:25 to win the London Marathon, so there are natural comparisons with McColgan as she heads toward her marathon debut on April 23 in the British capital.

“I’m really happy,” she told organisers at the finish. “It was a bit breezy and cold but I’m Scottish so I’m used to that weather.

“The pace was super quick at the start so I panicked going through 10km. I got a bit of cramp near the end but I’m glad to get to the finish and run a national record.”

Tsigie Gebreselama had led through 10km in 30:44 with McColgan chasing 12 seconds behind. The Ethiopian, who won silver behind Beatrice Chebet at the World Cross Country Championships in Australia last month, continued to lead by 16 seconds through 15km in 46:24, but soon afterwards McColgan caught and passed her.

Into the closing stages McColgan was away and clear but battling a little cramp in her leg. Slightly worryingly, she was still wearing the same black knee support that she wore during her 10,000m run in California last month. Powering home, she flung her arms up crossing the line as she smashed her best of 66:26 which was set at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon 14 months ago.

McColgan had never run the Berlin Half before but her first European medal had come in the city in 2018 when she took 5000m silver behind Sifan Hassan. The Dutch runner coincidentally holds the European half-marathon record with 65:15 with McColgan now fourth in the European all-time rankings.

Behind McColgan on Sunday, Gebreselama held on for second place in 66:13 as Yalemget Yaregal of Ethiopia was third in 66:27.

Samantha Harrison clocked a 67:19 PB to move into equal fourth place with Jess Warner-Judd on the UK all-time rankings as another Bri, Calli Thackery, shaved a second off her PB with 69:01.

The streets of Berlin almost always see fast times and the men’s race was quick too as Sabastian Sawe broke away from fellow Kenyan Alex Kibet in the closing stages to win in 59:01.

Eilish McColgan set for Berlin Half Marathon test

British record-holder faces key race in Germany this weekend ahead of marathon debut in London on April 23.

Three weeks before making her marathon debut in London, Eilish McColgan will tackle the Berlin Half Marathon on Sunday (April 2) looking for a confidence-boosting performance.

The 32-year-old has dealt with a number of injury niggles so far this year such as bursitis on her knee and Achilles and calf issues. Despite this she broke Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing British 10,000m record with 30:00.86 in California at the start of March although she subsequently withdrew from last weekend’s NYC Half.

After training in altitude in Colorado, she is now set to travel to Europe this week to run the Generali-sponsored Berlin Half Marathon where her rivals include Tsigie Gebreselama of Ethiopia and Ludwina Chepngetich of Kenya, whereas fellow Brits Samantha Harrison and Calli Thackery are also set to compete.

Gebreselama has run 65:46 – which she ran in Valencia last October behind Konstanze Klosterhalfen – whereas Chepngetich has run 67:30 and McColgan’s UK record is 66:26.

Gebreselama, 22, also won silver behind Beatrice Chebet in the women’s race at the recent World Cross Country Championships in Australia.

You can expect fast times because very much like the city’s annual marathon in the autumn, the half-marathon has seen quick times over the years. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands ran 65:45 here in 2019 with the current course record held by Kenya’s Sheila Kiprotich Chepkirui with 65:02 from 12 months ago.

The men’s line-up meanwhile is led by Sabastian Sawe, whose PB of 58:02, plus fellow Kenyans Philemon Kiplimo and Alex Kibet, the latter being the 2022 winner in Berlin. Up against the Kenyans are Dominic Lobalu of South Sudan and Gemechu Dida of Ethiopia, whose PBs are 59:12 and 59:21 respectively.

Reigning champions returning for B.A.A. 5K

Global medalists, returning champions and exciting challengers from Massachusetts will headline the Boston Athletic Association's 5K and Invitational Mile, the races which kick off the Boston Marathon weekend.

Both of the races will be held on Saturday, April 15.

Among the professional athletes entered in the B.A.A. 5K are reigning champions Charles Philibert-Thiboutot of Canada, Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Jenna Fesemyer of the USA. Recently crowned world cross-country champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya will make her Boston road racing debut in the competition.

The B.A.A. 5K starts and finishes in Boston Common at 8 a.m., featuring 10,000 athletes from 87 countries and all 50 U.S. states.

After the 5k, the Invitational Miles will be featured at the historic Boylston Street finish line.

Local Bay State stars Johnny Gregorek of Seekonk, the defending men's champion, and Ellie Shea of Belmont will compete in the three-lap race starting and finishing on Boylston Street.

Also in the field are 2022 B.A.A. Invitational Mile women’s runner-up Taryn Rawlings, 2021 NCAA Cross Country champion Whittni Morgan, and high school sub-four-minute miler Hobbs Kessler, who now runs professionally for Adidas.

“This year’s professional fields blend together experience with up-and-coming stars for the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile,” Mary Kate Shea, B.A.A. Director of Professional Athletes, said. “Participants, spectators, and running enthusiasts will get to witness world-class competition at shorter distances two days before the 127th Boston Marathon.”

Olympic Steeple Bronze Medalist Benjamin Kigen And World XC Champ Beatrice Chebet Lead Fields For BAA 5k

Patriots’ Day Weekend will kickoff with exciting competition, as international and U.S. stars take to the roads for the 2023 B.A.A. 5K presented by Point32Health, and the 2023 B.A.A. Invitational Mile on Saturday, April 15.

Among the professional athletes entered in the B.A.A. 5K are reigning champions Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (Canada), Marcel Hug (Switzerland), and Jenna Fesemyer (USA), while recently crowned world cross country champion Beatrice Chebet of Kenya will make her Boston road racing debut. Local Bay State stars Johnny Gregorek and Ellie Shea will compete in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, a three-lap race starting and finishing on Boylston Street.

“This year’s professional fields blend together experience with up-and-coming stars for the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile,” said Mary Kate Shea, B.A.A. Director of Professional Athletes. “Participants, spectators, and running enthusiasts will get to witness world class competition at shorter distances two days before the 127th Boston Marathon."

International standouts will be at the front of the B.A.A. 5K, led by Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen – an Olympic bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase from 2021—and Philibert-Thiboutot, who set a Canadian national record at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K en route to winning in 13:35. Philibert-Thiboutot’s countryman Ben Flanagan, a three-time Falmouth Road Race winner, as well as reigning B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Koech of Kenya, are also entered. Leading the American contingent is Olympian Mason Ferlic, two-time World Cross Country participant Emmanuel Bor, U.S. Road Mile champion Eric Avila, and NCAA All-American Morgan Beadlescomb.

On the women’s side, 2023 World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet and bronze medalist Agnes Ngetich (Kenya) will take on World Athletics Championships 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Mekides Abebe (Ethiopia), all racing the B.A.A. 5K for the first time. The United States will be well represented in the women’s professional ranks, with reigning USA 5K national champion Weini Kelati, defending B.A.A. Invitational Mile winner Annie Rodenfels, 2022 USA Club Cross Country champion Bethany Hasz, Olympian Marielle Hall, and 2022 USATF 10,000m bronze medalist Natosha Rogers all racing. Rodenfels and Hasz are members of the B.A.A. High Performance Team, training in Boston under coach Mark Carroll.

International standouts will be at the front of the B.A.A. 5K, led by Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen – an Olympic bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase from 2021—and Philibert-Thiboutot, who set a Canadian national record at the 2022 B.A.A. 5K en route to winning in 13:35. Philibert-Thiboutot’s countryman Ben Flanagan, a three-time Falmouth Road Race winner, as well as reigning B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Koech of Kenya, are also entered. Leading the American contingent is Olympian Mason Ferlic, two-time World Cross Country participant Emmanuel Bor, U.S. Road Mile champion Eric Avila, and NCAA All-American Morgan Beadlescomb.

On the women’s side, 2023 World Cross Country champion Beatrice Chebet and bronze medalist Agnes Ngetich (Kenya) will take on World Athletics Championships 3000m steeplechase bronze medalist Mekides Abebe (Ethiopia), all racing the B.A.A. 5K for the first time. The United States will be well represented in the women’s professional ranks, with reigning USA 5K national champion Weini Kelati, defending B.A.A. Invitational Mile winner Annie Rodenfels, 2022 USA Club Cross Country champion Bethany Hasz, Olympian Marielle Hall, and 2022 USATF 10,000m bronze medalist Natosha Rogers all racing. Rodenfels and Hasz are members of the B.A.A. High Performance Team, training in Boston under coach Mark Carroll.

How I Won the World Cross-Country Championship at Age 83

Seventy years after his first cross-country race and 46 years after competing as an elite runner, the author competes—and triumphs—on a tough Australian course

Last weekend, in Bathurst, Australia, I did something I thought I would never do again: I ran once more in the World Cross-Country Championship. Not the main men’s open race, in which I competed for England in 1966 and New Zealand in 1977. Not at age 83. But for the first time, the World Athletics federation added Masters championships, and—almost like a dream—I not only participated again, but raced at the front of the M80 field and managed to outlast a stubborn Australian for the win.

If you believe that running after eighty is about leisurely slow toddling, wait till you’re up there, racing to your limit, and you make the sharp u-turn at halfway and see that you are being closely stalked by a lean lanky Aussie with M80 on his bib and a threatening scowl like Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon. 

He is called James Harrison, and he made me work for it. I have won and lost many hard races over the years, and this was one of the hardest. The only possible tactic was unrelieved pressure. I finally broke him three-quarters through the four-kilometer distance, on the second two-kilometer lap, as we gasped up a big steep rough-surfaced hill that broke many hearts that weekend. At last, I sensed him drop. It took tenacity, months of focused training (including hill repeats), and years of learning the wiles that true cross-country demands. 

This was a course where every decision counted about where you placed your next stride. Every sharp oxygen-draining uphill demanded that you keep momentum over the crest, every downhill was there for attack, not recovery, every tight turn required poise and pace. Those things don’t come easily after age eighty (and on two replaced knees in my case), but it was a World Championship of cross-country running, and we were there to take those tests. 

I won’t claim the sheer thrill of winning the race was the same as ever. But it was real, and it had a private significance. I ran below my best in the senior world championship in the past. Nothing can change those results, but it felt good this time to get it right. And the sense of achievement is something that few things in the last years of life are ever likely to equal.

World Athletics, under President Seb Coe (who learned cross-country in England in his early teens), has grown tired of holding its cross-country championships on boring flat safe horse-race circuits, like those I encountered in my days in the main race. They decided to take some security risks to revitalize the sport. American senior administrator David Katz now acts as course consultant for each World Cross-Country, and insists on the real thing. 

“Cross-country has one distinctive thing, the course. That has to be the talking point, and each one must be unique as the race moves around the world. The media and the public need to understand that cross-country is special in its challenges, not just another long race,” Katz said in Bathurst. 

The previous championships in 2019 in Aarhus, Denmark, set the world chattering about a course that included loops over the steeply-sloping grassed roof of the Moesgaard Museum. This time (after several Covid-related postponements) the Aussies gave us a course that was a raw slice of the Australian outback. On the side of Mount Panorama, it was broken and unpredictable, rusty dirt, grey raggedy scrub grass, and diabolical hills. Scattered blue gum trees provided the only shade. Each morning, you could find fresh kangaroo poop. 

They added some challenges to make it even more uniquely Australian. There was a “billabong,” of treacherous ankle-deep wet mud that caused many runners to skid and flop to a slimy downfall. (Some of the slower kids in the scholastic races lay down and daubed themselves heroically.) There was a dash through the straight vines of a winery, followed by tight turns, and, in honor of Bathurst’s motor-race circuit, a “chicane” where you had to steer through a forest of car tires. 

High on a dry hillside there was a stretch named “Bondi Beach,” deep shifting sand decorated with lifeguard flags and “Beware of Sharks” signs. An Aussie joke, yet for the runners, another testing change of racing rhythm, another response to the challenge of contours and terrain. No other kind of running does that. Cross-country is the closest our sport gets to true interaction with the earth.   

Added to all that was the Outback summer heat, 95 degrees for the main races on the Saturday late afternoon. In the different races, several runners were taken to hospital, and at least four passed out during the race, including, it seemed, the women’s favorite and race leader, Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia), who collapsed dramatically and glazy-eyed as she was passed by Beatrice Chebet (Kenya) within strides of the finish. 

As a serious evening storm approached, its clouds like dark riders, the men’s race was hastily moved forward, and 22-year-old Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo had to win his first major title while lightning flashed behind the mountain and brutal wind gusts sent runners staggering. Slower runners were caught in torrential rain.  Australia does nothing by half measures. 

For me and many others, Australia was an unexpected opportunity. Three months before the race, World Athletics and World Masters Athletics announced that they were combining to add masters championships, part of a new and excellent policy to make the event a full cross-country festival, as well as the world’s elite team and individual championships. Hundreds of spectators doubled as competitors. I met so many old friends out there, it was like a global runners’ reunion. 

In addition to the usual competitors from Europe, North America and Africa, there were teams from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and other Pacific nations, none of them obvious participants in a sport that is essentially one of cold winter.

I guess an 83-year-old who last ran the World Cross-Country in 1977 was another less-than-obvious participant. I never imagined it. I gave up cross-country for good, I believed, when my orthopedic surgeon confessed, after he watched me and the knee he had implanted struggle over a muddy course, that it gave him nightmares for weeks. 

But a lifetime of racing has taught me that you have to seize the moment. Before committing, I watched videos of the course, which like a good actor came across looking much more attractive than it was. When I actually saw the steep downhills, I thought I was out of my mind. But another thing I have learned is that in running, only one thing is absolutely certain—you won’t run well if you’re not in the race. 

I registered. I did the work. I seized my moment. I got the sheer thrill of winning a race. I was lucky in that the course’s surface proved (mostly) not too lumpy or too soft, and I was lucky in some top Europeans and South Americans not making the journey. In every race, you can only compete against those who show up. 

Young readers, please note. In January 1953, aged 13, I ran my first cross-country race, in my high school’s inter-house league, well back in the field. Seventy years a runner. You never know what a high school race might lead to. 

Being called world champion at 83 is a nice way to celebrate that small private anniversary—and at this age, I can surely be forgiven a memory lapse, if sometimes I forget to add “over-80.” It could also be a nice way to round off seventy years of running. Round off, except for the next race, that is.

(Roger Robinson ran the world cross-country championship for England and later New Zealand, and set a Masters record of 2:20:15 at the Boston Marathon.  He is regarded as the outstanding historical writer on running. He recaptures history from personal observation in When Running Made History (Syracuse University Press) and he researches vivid and accurate accounts of the sport’s best stories in his new book, Running Throughout Time: the Greatest Running Stories Ever Told (Meyer & Meyer). Available through Amazon and all online outlets and bookstores.)

Beatrice Chebet wins World XC gold after Letesenbet Gidey collapses at finish

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet overhauled favorite Letesenbet Gidey with a stunning late burst over the last 100 metres to clinch the women's cross country world title on Saturday.

Jacob Kiplimo later won the men's title for Uganda but only the approach of a thunder storm about to sweep over the Mount Panorama race track was able to offer drama comparable to the women's race.

World 10,000m champion Gidey had broken for the front on the final climb out of the swampy "Billabong" section of the course and looked to be coasting to the line when Chebet put on a late burst and appeared on her shoulder.

Ethiopian Gidey tried to react but her legs gave way and she fell to the ground as world 5,000m silver medalist Chebet swept past her and crossed the line in 33 minutes 48 seconds.

"I did not expect to win but I hung in," said Chebet, who won the under-20 title at the last championships in Aarhus in 2019.

"I saw that towards the finish Gidey was a bit slower and I ran hard and I won. When we were running, I thought that she was not running fast anymore and I thought I have the potential to go and win."

Tsigie Gebreselama of Ethiopia took the silver in 33.56 and Agnes Jebet Ngetich took bronze for Kenya in 34 minutes dead. Gidey had to be helped over the line and was disqualified.

A late burst earned Ethiopian Senayet Getachew the women's under-20 crown in 20.53, while Ishmael Kipkurui gave Kenya more success with a run of 24.29 to win the men's age-group race.

Kenya earlier dominated the mixed team relay ahead of Ethiopia in 23.14 with Australia giving the locals something to cheer about with a bronze medal.

WXC Bathurst 23 senior women's preview: Gidey goes for gold against tough opposition

Had the World Athletics Cross Country Championships Bathurst 23 gone ahead in 2021 as originally planned, there’s a strong chance that Letesenbet Gidey would already be a world champion at the discipline.

The Ethiopian was in sensational form in 2020 and 2021, setting world records of 14:06.62 for 5000m and 29:01.03 for 10,000m. She had to settle for bronze at the Olympic Games at the longer event, but she prioritized global honors over records in 2022 and was rewarded with her first world title on the track, winning the 10,000m in Oregon in a nail-biting race.

The 24-year-old is now focused on winning her first individual senior world cross-country title. She won back-to-back U20 crowns in 2015 and 2017, joining an elite club of athletes to achieve the feat, alongside Faith Kipyegon and Genzebe Dibaba.

Gidey finished third in the senior women’s race in 2019 and earned gold in the team competition, but this time she heads to Bathurst as one of the big favorites.

If her performance at the Jan Meda Cross Country – Ethiopia’s trial event for the World Cross – is anything to go by, Gidey is certainly in form to challenge for gold in Bathurst. In that race back on 1 January, she bided her time until the last kilometer of the race and then soon opened up a gap of about 20 seconds on a strong domestic field.

It looked as though she was running within herself, too.

As much as individual glory will be Gidey’s biggest goal on Saturday, she will also want to earn gold in the team standings, and Ethiopia will once again be in with a great shout of doing exactly that.

Gete Alemayehu, who has a 1:06:37 half marathon PB, was second in the trial race, just ahead of 30:06.01 10,000m performer Tsigie Gebreselama, bronze medalist in the U20 race in Aarhus in 2019. Fellow Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfaye just missed out on a top-10 placing in Aarhus, so will be keen to improve on that in Bathurst.

But Gidey and her Ethiopian compatriots won’t have an easy ride, as they’ll be up against someone who is undefeated in international cross-country races for more than a year.

Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel has dominated the World Athletics Cross Country Tour and currently tops the season standings thanks to her three victories last month. She won at the prestigious Campaccio meeting in San Giorgio su Legnano, then two days later triumphed in Elgoibar, winning by eight seconds. More recently she won in Hannut, racing in heavy snow, showing she can cope well in any conditions.

Daniel enjoyed a successful 2022 campaign on the track, setting national records for 5000m (14:36.66) and 10,000m (30:12.15), the latter when placing fifth at the World Championships in Oregon.

But the 21-year-old is clearly more at home on cross country, and despite this being her World Cross debut, Daniel will have high hopes for a podium finish.

Beatrice Chebet is just as formidable an opponent, though. The Kenyan took 5000m silver at the World Championships last year and won the U20 women’s title at the 2019 World Cross in Aarhus. She is also the African, Commonwealth and Diamond League 5000m champion, and is a former world U20 champion on the track.

She has raced just twice in cross-country events since the end of the track season, but won both of her races. She won by 13 seconds in Atapuerca in November and by 15 seconds at the Cinque Mulini in January.

In the absence of Chebet at the Kenyan trials, teenager Grace Loibach Nawowuna was a surprising winner of the senior women’s race, beating Olympic semifinalist Edinah Jebitok by four seconds. The Kenyan team also includes two-time world cross-country champion Emily Chebet and Agnes Ngetich.

Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba missed the peak of the 2022 track season through injury, but still managed to win three races on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, and then triumphed at the Venta de Banos Cross Country in December. In her latest appearance, though, she was a distant fifth in Elgoibar, some 47 seconds behind Daniel.

Stella Chesang, the 2018 Commonwealth 10,000m champion, was a dominant winner of the recent Ugandan Cross Country Championships and is keen to improve on her 21st-place finish from the 2019 World Cross. She is joined on the Ugandan team by world U20 5000m bronze medallist Prisca Chesang.

Olympic finalist Nozomi Tanaka, who holds national records for 1000m, 1500m and 3000m, leads the Japanese team. The 2018 world U20 3000m champion placed 39th at the last World Cross when she was still just 19 years of age, so she’ll be hoping for a higher position this time. Ririka Hironaka, who earned U20 team bronze in 2019, will also be flying the Japanese flag in Bathurst.

Ednah Kurgat and Weini Kelati feature on the US team, while Australia’s Rose Davies and Leanne Pompeani will aim to give the home crowd something to cheer for. Other contenders include Canada’s Regan Yee, Mexico’s Laura Galvan, and Britain’s Abbie Donnelly.

The Boston and New York marathons are on Eliud Kipchoge to do list before the Olympic marathon in Paris 2024

Two-time Olympics marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will compete in two World Marathon Majors races before heading to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Since he started his road running career in 2013 and won Hamburg Marathon, Kipchoge has competed in 15 marathon races, winning 13 of them.

Kipchoge has competed in four out of six WMM races - Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago, and London Marathon races - but is yet to compete in New York Marathon and Boston Marathon races.

“Two marathon majors of New York and Boston are in my to-do list. I want to compete in the races as I prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games. It is still early in the season but things will get clearer next year, and then I can know exactly where I will be competing,” said Kipchoge, the world record holder.

He was speaking in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County Tuesday after he was named as the LG/ Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK) Sports Personality for the month of September.

Kipchoge won the recognition after his world record-breaking 2 hours, 01:09 minute run at the Berlin Marathon on September 25.

He lowered his own record by 30 seconds, winning a third title.

Kipchoge was awarded a set of LG refrigerator, which also doubles up as a top mount freezer, and water dispenser worth Sh150,000 and a trophy.

He thanked SJAK and LG for continuously recognising athletes for their efforts and glory brought to the country through their exemplary performances.

He urged athletes to compete clean and avoid being swayed to use drugs for quick money.

“I urge athletes to always stay focused, and to compete in cross country and track races before gradually shifting to the road races. That is where I started and I’m glad it has shaped my career to whom I am today,” he added.

LG East Africa Content Manager William Kimore said Kipchoge is a good inspiration to the young generation.

“We are proud to be associated Kipchoge, one of the greatest marathoners of all time. He has demonstrated that hard work and persistence pays with his record-breaking runs,” he said.

Kipchoge beat other nominees, including track stars Beatrice Chebet (5000m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m) both of whom claimed Diamond League trophies in the 2022 season finale held in Zurich, and Hellen Obiri who successfully defended her Great North Run title the same month. Malkia Strikers opposite attacker Sharon Chepchumba who was Kenya’s top scorer at the World Championships in the Netherlands.

Eliud Kipchoge wins LG Sports Personality of the Month award

World Marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge is the LG/ Sports Journalist Association of Kenya (SJAK) Sports Personality for the month of September.

Kipchoge won the recognition after his world record-breaking 2:01:09 run at the Berlin Marathon on September 25 this year where he lowered his record by 30 seconds to win a fourth title.

In an interview with journalists on Tuesday in Eldoret, Kipchoge said that he was glad to have been recognized for his exploits in Berlin.

Kipchoge was awarded an LG refrigerator which doubles up as a top mount freezer and water dispenser worth Sh150,000 and a personalized trophy.

He hailed SJAK and LG for constantly recognizing sportsmen and women for their exemplary performances.

“I’m excited today to be recognized by the journalists’ body and this is the second recognition after the breakfast meeting by Isuzu two weeks ago and I must admit that when you work hard, good things come your way.

I want to thank SJAK and LG for this award and this is a testament that we should always strive for more, there are no limits but rather everything is achieved through belief and determination. Breaking the world record in Berlin was very crucial for me as I wanted to inspire the human race,” said the Double Olympic marathon winner.

Kipchoge said that he is starting his season soon as he eyes a trio of wins at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“I have a plan to compete in the remaining major races before the 2024 Olympic Games where I’m eyeing to retain my title for the third time and I believe next season will be great,” he added.

William Kimore, the Content manager LG East Africa, said Kipchoge is a good inspiration to the young athletes who look up to him.

“We are proud to be associated Kipchoge one of the greatest marathoners who has demonstrated that hard work and persistence pays with his record-breaking heroics and we shall continue recognizing and awarding those who perform well in various sports,” said Kimore.

Kipchoge beat other nominees including track stars Beatrice Chebet (5000m) and Emmanuel Korir (800m), both of whom claimed Diamond League trophies in the 2022 season finale held in Zurich, Switzerland, and Hellen Obiri, who successfully defended her Great North Run title in the same month.

Others nominees included Malkia Strikers opposite attacker Sharon Chepchumba, who emerged top scorer for Kenya at the World Championships in the Netherlands, Karan Patel, who won the ARC Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally in Kigali, and former Hit Squad captain Nick Okoth, who bagged silver at the African Championships in Maputo, Mozambique.

He joins a growing list of sportsmen and women who have won the award this year including junior WRC3 contender McRae Kimathi (February), Japan’s Nagoya Marathon winner Ruth Chepng’etich (March), Boston Marathon men’s winner Evans Chebet (April), national women’s volleyball team star Sharon Chepchumba (May), WRC3 Safari Rally winner Maxine Wahome (June), Wimbledon Open Doubles Junior Champion Angela Okutoyi (July) and Commonwealth Games 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala (August).

Tsegay wins women’s 5000m world title after dramatic last lap

It was a 5000m race that came down to the final 100m, Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay using her 1500m speed to prevail in a thrilling sprint finish and gain her first global outdoor gold on the penultimate day of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

The world indoor 1500m record-holder, who claimed the indoor title in that discipline in Belgrade in March, returned to the track five days after claiming 1500m silver behind Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon at Hayward Field and she had the 5000m title as her target. After a tactical test, she achieved her aim, clocking 14:46.29 as little more than a second separated the top three. Kenya’s 2018 world U20 winner Beatrice Chebet was right behind her, securing silver in 14:46.75, while Ethiopia’s Dawit Seyaum got bronze in 14:47.36.

Three years after placing runner-up to her compatriot Hellen Obiri – the two-time world 5000m champion who focused on the 10,000m in Oregon – Margaret Kipkemboi finished fourth in 14:47.71 and Ethiopia’s recently-crowned 10,000m champion, Letesenbet Gidey, was fifth in 14:47.98, one place ahead of Netherlands’ double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan in 14:48.12.

“The hard times were at the Olympics in Tokyo, because I was injured there” said Tsegay, who still managed to race for 1500m bronze at last year’s Games. “Not today.”

With a final 1500m of 4:14.59 and a last lap of 59.95, the 25-year-old pulled away from Chebet and Seyaum down the home straight, executing her plan.

“I have been training well for 1500m and this helps sprint on the home stretch,” added Tsegay, who claimed her 2014 world U20 1500m silver in Eugene. “I know that Sifan is a top athlete and she is also a 1500m runner, so she has the speed. When she came in front, I sped up even more and won the medal.”

It was that attack from Hassan at the bell that launched Tsegay into action. Always near the front, Tsegay led through the first 1000m in 3:14.21 ahead of Kazakhstan’s Caroline Chepkoech Kipkirui, Seyaum and Gidey. Gidey and Tsegay continued to take turns at the front and Tsegay was to the fore as 3000m was reached in 9:02.79. The world 10,000m champion was a stride ahead with four laps to go as she and Tsegay continued to control the race, with Chebet right behind them.

Glancing over her shoulder with three laps remaining, Tsegay led the 10-strong group and Gidey moved ahead along the back straight. One lap later, Tsegay kicked ahead, but not by enough to shake off her rivals. With her eyes on the big screen, she could see Hassan move from seventh to fifth, and by the time they reached the bell the Olympic champion was on her shoulder.

The race was down to a six-strong battle for the medals. With Tsegay in front, Hassan moved ahead of Gidey as they ran down the back straight for the final time, taking the inside line to challenge Tsegay on the bend. Chebet was running wide, but holding her place. As they left the curve, Hassan no longer seemed the biggest threat, with Chebet providing the challenge. But no one could match Tsegay’s finishing speed and she strode ahead down the home straight, on her way to victory. Chebet held on for silver, as Seyaum came through for bronze.

“It was a matter of tactics,” said Chebet, whose CV includes the 2019 world U20 cross country title as well as her 2018 world U20 track win. “I was well positioned.

“Although I am young, I've run many races with elite athletes at the Diamond League. They are not new to me. This medal will make a good difference for me.”

For Seyaum, the bronze medal was welcome after years of injuries. “I hoped to get a place on the podium,” she said. “I hoped and expected to become a medallist in this event. For five years, I was having injuries, so this result is very special for me.”

And Hassan, who finished fourth in the 10,000m seven days earlier, explained how she was happy to be back on the international stage. “I started to train like two months ago and today, I did my best and I gave everything,” she said. “For me, it is important if I give everything and race smart, it does not matter what the position is.

“I think I really overworked last year, so I wanted to have a break mentally, because athletics is not only about running but also about motivation. I took an almost seven-month break. I am happy to be back, and I will try for more golds next year.”

All five reigning world champions named on Kenya's team for Oregon

All five of Kenya’s champions from Doha in 2019 will defend their titles at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on 15-24 July.

Beatrice Chepkoech, Ruth Chepngetich, Timothy Cheruiyot, Conseslus Kipruto and Hellen Obiri have been named on the Kenyan team for the event at Hayward Field, where they will be joined by athletes including Olympic champions Peres Jepchirchir, Faith Kipyegon and Emmanuel Korir.

Obiri won her second consecutive world 5000m title in Doha and has been selected for that event as well as the 10,000m, joined by Margaret Chelimo in both.

Chepkoech and Kipruto defend their 3000m steeplechase titles, while Cheruiyot will look to return to the top in the 1500m after securing silver behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Tokyo.

Chepngetich will be joined by Angela Tanui and Judith Jeptum in the women’s marathon, as well as Olympic champion Jepchirchir. After Tokyo, two-time world half marathon champion Jepchirchir went on to win the New York and Boston marathons and has been added to the team for Oregon.

Kenya finished second in the medal table behind USA in Doha three years ago with five gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

Kenyan team for Oregon

Women400m: Mary Moraa800m: Naomi Korir, Jarinter Mawia, Mary Moraa1500m: Winnie Chebet, Edinah Jebitok, Faith Kipyegon, Judy Kiyeng5000m: Beatrice Chebet, Margaret Chelimo, Gloria Kite, Hellen Obiri10,000m: Margaret Chelimo, Sheila Chepkurui, Hellen Obiri3000m steeplechase: Beatrice Chepkoech, Jackline Chepkoech, Celliphine Chespol, Purity Kirui20km race walk: Emily NgiiMarathon: Ruth Chepngetich, Peres Jepchirchir, Judith Jeptum, Angela Tanui

Men100m: Ferdinand Omanyala400m: Emmanuel Korir800m: Wycliffe Kinyamal, Emmanuel Korir, Cornelius Tuwei, Emmanuel Wanyonyi1500m: Timothy Cheruiyot, Abel Kipsang, Charles Simotwo, Kumari Taki5000m: Nicholas Kimeli, Jacob Krop, Daniel Simiu10,000m: Rodgers Kwemoi, Daniel Mateiko, Stanley Waithaka3000m steeplechase: Leonard Bett, Abraham Kibiwott, Benjamin Kigen, Conseslus Kipruto400m hurdles: Moitalel Mpoke20km race walk: Samuel GathimbaMarathon: Lawrence Cherono, Geoffrey Kamworor, Barnaba Kiptum

Team Kenya coach Janeth Jepkosgei hopeful of Kenya's chances in World Indoor event

Team Kenya coach Janeth Jepkosgei is confident that her young charges will win some medals for the country at the World Athletics Indoor Championships starting Friday at Štark Arena, Belgrade, Serbia.

The 38-year-old, who last competed for Kenya at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, said that though she can’t predict the type of the medal they will get, something nice will come from the Balkans.

Jepkosgei is in a team of 10 athletes and six officials that was to left at 11.55pm on Tuesday aboard an Emirates flight for the three-day championships.

“You can tell from their body language in training that they are hungry for results. They are simply happy free souls,” said Jepkosgei, the 2007 World 800m champion and 2008 Beijing Olympics 800m silver medallist.

Though a different experience virtually for all the members, this being an indoor championship event, Jepkosgei said that she has instilled the essence of being courageous and tough at that particular stage.

“They need not to be scared and should fight to the finishing tape,” said Jepkosgei, who described her team as Kenya’s future stars.

“I have told them that they have a long and bright future ahead, hence being in the team should motivate them. They deserve to represent Kenya, “explained Jepkosgei, who is indebted to Athletics Kenya for giving her a chance to handle the national team for the first time.

“This is another responsibility and stage in my athletics career after having hang up my spikes from competitive running back in 2015. I am happy but I am in the process of learning,” said Jepkosgei.

Kenya only won one medal- bronze by Bethwell Birgen in men’s 3,000m-from the last 2018 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The last time Kenya won gold in the men’s event was in 2014 in Sopot, Poland where Caleb Mwangangi reigned supreme in the 3,000m.

Hellen Obiri (3,000m) and Pamela Jelimo (800m) won last for the country in 2012 Istanbul, Turkey.

Team captain and Africa’s 100m record holder, Ferdinand Omanyala and his teammates have promised a good show with the sprinter targeting a sub 6.57 seconds in the men’s 60m.

The 2018 World Under-20 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet is eyeing a podium place in the women’s 3,000m alongside Collins Kipruto in the men’s 800m.

Kipruto will partner with World Under-20 800m bronze medallist Noah Kibet in the 800m event.

Chebet, 22, said she is eager to emulate Obiri on her maiden major tour as a senior in the women’s 3,000m where she will team up with prodigy Edinah Jebitok.

Jebitok, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, will also double up in the 1,500m.

World Relay 2x2x400m silver medalist Naomi Korir makes the women’s 800m team that also has Eglay Nalianya.

Abel Kipsang, who represented Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is a lone ranger in men’s 1,500m, while Jacob Kiprop and Daniel Simiu will battle in the men's 3,000m.

Africa’s 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala will lead Kenya's team of 10 athletes and six officials to the World Indoor Championships

Ferdinand Omanyala will lead Kenya's team of 10 athletes and six officials to the World Indoor Championships set for March 18-20 this year in Belgrade, Serbia.

The team, coached by 2017 World 800m champion Janeth Jepkosgei, will leave the country on March 16.

Athletics Kenya Director for Youth and Development, Barnaba Korir disclosed that Omanyala will take the blocks in the 60m event, while 2018 World Under-20 5,000m champion Beatrice Chebet will compete in the women’s 3,000m.

Chebet will team up with fast-rising Edinah Jebitok, who will also double up in the 1,500m.

World Relay 2x2x400m silver medalist Naomi Korir makes the women’s 800m team alongside Eglay Nalianya.

Abel Kipsang, who represented Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is the lone ranger in the men’s 1,500m, while Collins Kipruto, who has won several races at the World Indoor Tour, will fly the country’s flag in the men’s 800m, alongside World Under-20 800m bronze medallist Noah Kibet.

Jacob Kiprop and Daniel Simiu will battle it out in the men's 3,000m.

After a series of breathtaking performances at the World Indoor Tour where he broke the national record in 60m thrice, Omanyala will be hoping to reach the final.

Omanyala, who holds the Africa Record in 100m outdoor of 9.77sec, broke the national record in 60m indoor for the first time on February 4 this year when he won at Meeting Elite de Miramas in France.

He glided to 6.63 to shatter the previous National Record of 6.70 set by Paulvince Obuon in 2005.

Omanyala had won his semi-final heat in Lievin 6.63 before losing to Olympic 100m champion Jacobs Marcell from Italy, who won in 6.50.

He then bettered the National Record for the second time when winning in 6.60m at Meeting Metz Monselle Athlelor  in France on February 12, before lowering it further to 6.57 when he finished fourth at the Meeting Hauts-de- France Pas-de-Calais on February 17 in Lievin, France.

Kipruto competed in five races at the World Indoor Tour where he won two of them.

Kipruto’s best showing was when he won the men's 800m race at Müller Indoor Grand Prix in a personal best of 1:45.39 at Utilita Arena Birmingham on February 19.

Kipruto had held off 17-year-old Kibet and Morocco’s Mostafa Smaili to claim victory in the men's 800m at the Meeting de l’Eure in Val-de-Reuil in a meeting record time of 1:47.05 on February 14 in France.

Nalianya has three wins from her indoor outing in European, but her best show came from Meeting Hauts-de- France Pas-de-Calais on February 17 in Lievin, where she finished third in a personal best of 2:00.26.

Her compatriot Korir has taken part in five races this season and managed a second place in three, which includes a personal best of 2:00.66 from Míting Internacional de Catalunya in Spain on February 8.

Team

Men:

Ferdinand Omanyala (60m), Collins Kipruto (800m), Noah Kibet (800), Abel kIpsang (1,500m), Jacob Krop (3,000m), Daniel Simiu (3,000m).

Women

Naomi Korir (800), Egpay Naliaka (800), Edinah Jebitok (1,500m, 3,000m), Beatrice Chebet (3,000m).

Officials

Barnaba Kitilit (team leader), Hassan Ahmed( technical leader), Janeth Jepkosgei (team coach), Francis Philomena (Doctor), Lydia Muraya (official), Irene Wamui (official).

Letesenbet Gidey, Hellen Obiri and Faith Kipyegon set to clash in Eldoret in honor of Tirop

Fittingly, for an event named in memory of one of the world’s best distance runners, the women’s race at the Agnes Tirop Cross Country Classic is expected to be the highlight of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting in Eldoret on Saturday (12).

Before Tirop’s tragic death in October last year, Kenya was already preparing to host a World Athletics Cross Country Tour event in Eldoret. But during Tirop’s funeral on 23 October – the day she would have turned 26 – Athletics Kenya announced that the cross-country event will be named after their star athlete.

Tirop will be remembered and celebrated this weekend for her great achievements in athletics. In 2015, aged just 19 at the time, she won the senior world cross-country title in Guiyang, then went on to earn bronze medals over 10,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. Just one month before her death, she set a women-only world 10km record of 30:01.

Many of Tirop’s friends, rivals and former teammates will be in action in Eldoret this weekend.

Letesenbet Gidey, who won the U20 title at the 2015 World Cross, leads the women’s field. The Ethiopian holds the world records for 5000m, 10,000m and the half marathon. This will be her first race since breaking the world half marathon record with her stunning 1:02:52 in Valencia last year, and her first cross-country race since the 2019 World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, where she took bronze in the senior women’s race.

Senbere Teferi, the silver medalist behind Tirop at the 2015 World Cross, is also expected to be on the start line. At the same event in Herzogenaurach where Tirop set a world 10km record last October, Teferi set a world 5km record of 14:29. Teferi has finished fourth in both of her recent cross-country outings, in Seville and Elgoibar, so will be keen to make it on to the podium in Eldoret.

World 5000m and cross-country champion Hellen Obiri and two-time Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon – both regular teammates of Tirop’s over the years – lead the Kenyan challenge.

Obiri, who earned Olympic 5000m silver last year, opened her 2022 campaign last month with victory at the World Cross Country Tour Silver meeting in Dundonald. Kipyegon, meanwhile, will be contesting her first cross-country race since the 2017 World Cross, where she finished sixth. Despite being a 1500m specialist, Kipyegon has always been a formidable competitor in cross country, having won two world U20 titles in the discipline.

The top-performing athletes from the recent Kenyan Cross Country Championships, held on this same course last month, will also be looking to produce another strong performance on home soil.

Joyce Jepkemoi, who emerged as the surprise winner in the senior women’s race at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, will be hoping to confirm that she is indeed the best cross country runner in Kenya at the moment. World 5000m silver medalist Margaret ChelimoKipkemboi, who finished second behind Jepkemoi in Eldoret last month, is also entered.

Other leading Kenyan runners expected to compete include world marathon champion Ruth Chepngetich, steeplechase specialist CelliphineChespol, Lilian Kasait, Beatrice Chebet, EdinahJebitok and TeresiahMuthoni. Bahraini steeplechaser Winfred Yavi, the two-time Asian champion and fourth-place finisher at the 2019 World Championships, is also entered.

Geoffrey Kamworor, who excels on all surfaces, is the biggest name entered for the men’s race. The two-time world cross-country champion and three-time world half marathon champion last raced at the Valencia Marathon in December, where he set a PB of 2:05:23. His last cross-country race, meanwhile, was the 2020 Kenyan Championships, where he finished second.

National 5000m champion Nicholas Kimeli, who finished fourth over 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics at fourth at the recent Kenyan Cross Country Championships, will also be competing, as will 2018 world U20 5000m champion Edward Zakayo, who finished just behind Kimeli in Eldoret last month.

Other entrants in the senior men’s race include USA’s 2016 Olympic 5000m silver medalist Paul Chelimo, Eritrean steeplechase record-holder YemaneHaileselassie, and multiple NCAA champion Edward Cheserek.

Following feedback from competitors at the Kenyan Cross Country Championships, a number of adjustments have been made to the course. The muddy section that many runners had found tough – and lost their shoes in – has been compacted to create room for shallower mud.

Seyaum and Yihune claim Campaccio crowns

Dawit Seyaum and Addisu Yihune achieved an Ethiopian double at the 65th edition of the Campaccio in San Giorgio su Legnano, the eighth Gold level meeting of this season’s World Athletics Cross Country Tour, on Thursday (6).

The 2022 edition of the popular Northern Italian race celebrated the 100th anniversary of the local sports club Unione Sportiva Sangiorgese.

In the women’s race, Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel Ghebreyohannes took the early lead ahead of a seven-women group featuring Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa, Kenya’s world U20 champion Beatrice Chebet, Seyaum, Kenya’s Lucy Mawia, Ethiopia’s Fantaye Belayneh, Italy’s Anna Arnaudo and her compatriot Nadia Battocletti, the European U23 cross country champion. The leading pack went through the 2km mark in 6:38.

Seven runners remained at the front as the pace picked up at 4km. Seyaum changed gear, clocking a split of 2:49 between 4km and 5km. The leading pack was whittled down to five runners at 5km.

Seyaum, Chebet and Daniel Ghebreyohannes broke away with 500 metres to go and battled it out for the win. Seyaum unleashed her final kick to cross the finish line in 18:48, holding off Atapuerca cross country winner Daniel Ghebreyohannes by just one second in a close sprint. Chebet was beaten for the second time in this cross country season by Daniel Ghebreyohannes and had to settle for third place in 18:51 ahead of Belayneh (18:56) and Eisa (19:05).

Battocletti edged her Slovenian rival Klara Lukan to finish sixth in 19:06.

Seyaum claimed a back-to-back win after her recent triumph at the Boclassic 5km road race in Bolzano last Friday.

The men’s race saw a big group featuring Kenya’s Vincent Kipkurui Too, Emmanuel Korir Kiplagat and Amos Serem, together with Ethiopia’s Yihune, Eritrea’s Aron Kifle and Italian runners Iliass Aouani, Yohanes Chiappinelli and Eyob Ghebrehiwet Faniel, go through 3km in 8:43.

Too set the pace at the front of an eight-man group, closely followed by Serem, Kiplagat, Kifle, Yihune and Faniel during the third lap. They went through 4km in 11:46 and 5km in 14:30.

Aouani was the first to drop back at 7km and the leading group was whittled down to seven athletes. Kiplagat then moved to the front ahead of six other runners: Serem, Kifle, Faniel, Too, Yihune and Chiappinelli. 

The first significant move came at 8km when Yihune, Kiplagat, Too, Serem and Kifle picked up the pace and pulled away from marathon runner Faniel by two seconds. Yihune pushed on at the front and increased his lead during the last lap, going on to cross the finish line in 28:39 with a six-second gap over Kiplagat.

Serem, who won the world U20 gold medal in the 3000m steeplechase in Nairobi last August, won a very close sprint for third place in 28:53, holding off Too. Kifle rounded out the top five in 28:59.

Faniel finished sixth as the first Italian athlete in 29:15, beating European 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist Chiappinelli (29:21) and Italian cross country champion Aouani (29:45).

Yihune joined the list of Ethiopian stars who have won the Campaccio race, that includes Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele, Muktar Edris, Imane Merga and Hagos Gebrhiwet.

Yihune, who will turn 19 in March, finished fourth in the 5000m at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi and clocked a PB of 12:58.99 over this distance in Hengelo last June.

“I felt confident during the race that I could win, as I knew that I was well prepared,” said Yihune. “I train with Selemon Barega. He is my role model.”

Norah Jeruto and Rodrigue Kwizera triumph at Cross de Italica

Kenya’s Norah Jeruto and Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera secured victories at the Cross Internacional de Itálica on the outskirts of Seville in what was the fifth World Athletics Cross Country Tour Gold meeting of the season, held (21) on a cloudy but dry day.

Right from the start of the women’s 7.9km contest, Jeruto took command of the race and led a quartet that included compatriot Beatrice Chebet, Ethiopia’s 5km world record-holder Senbere Teferi and recent Atapuerca winner Rahel Daniel. Margaret Chelimo, the defending Cross de Italica champion and world 5000m silver medallist, was a few seconds adrift of the leaders within the first few kilometres.

While Jeruto and Chebet took charge of the pacing duties, Teferi and Daniel ran at the back of the lead pack. Just before the halfway point, Chelimo made contact with the lead group and moved to the front alongside Chebet and Jeruto. Daniel, meanwhile, began to lose contact after the fourth kilometre as the race became a duel between the Kenyan trio and Teferi.

Half way through the final circuit, Teferi couldn’t live with the pace being set by Chelimo and Jeruto. Chebet lost ground on her compatriots in the final kilometre, leaving Jeruto and Chelimo to battle for victory.

It briefly seemed as though the long-legged Chelimo would reel in the long-time leader, but Jeruto, who this year clocked a world-leading 8:53.65 in the steeplechase to move to third on the world all-time list, found an extra gear in the home straight to win marginally ahead of Chelimo, herself two seconds clear of Chebet.

The men’s 10.1km event began at a moderate pace, set by the Spanish duo of Carlos Mayo, a 27:25.00 10,000m performer, and the 40-year-old Ayad Lamdassem, a creditable fifth at the Tokyo Olympics in the marathon. Shortly before the third kilometre, world U20 3000m champion Tadese Worku moved to the front to whittle down the leading group to six other men: fellow Ethiopian Nibret Melak, Uganda’s Thomas Ayeko, Eritrea’s Aron Kifle, Kwizera, Mayo and Abdessadam Oukhelfen.

The first significant move came some 15 minutes into the race when Kifle, the winner in Atapuerca last weekend, put in a surge to leave Ayeko and the Spaniards behind within a matter of seconds. Kifle and Worku then took turns at the front with Melak and Kwizera tucked behind.

Throughout the closing loop, Worku tried to shake off Melak, Kwizera and Kifle, but Kwizera was able to stick to the teenager’s relentless pace. After negotiating the tricky final bend, Kwizera overtook Worku with relative ease to take the biggest win of his career so far in 28:33, one second ahead of the defending champion Worku, while Melak secured third spot in 28:42, seven seconds clear of Kifle.

“Winning the Itálica permit is incredible for me,” said 22-year-old Kwizera, who finished 11th at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships. “I’m doing very well this cross country season and hope to maintain this. I feel very comfortable in cross country races but I also would like to improve my career bests on the track (13:34.65 for 5000m and 28:21.92 for 10,000m).”

Top fields gather for Cross Internacional de Italica

The Cross Internacional de Italica in Santiponce on the outskirts of the Spanish city of Seville – the fifth Gold standard meeting in the current World Athletics Cross Country Tour – always boasts a mouth-watering line-up, and this year’s race on Sunday (21) is no exception.

The men’s 10,092m contest features one of the most promising distance runners, Ethiopia’s Tadese Worku, who was the last victor here in January 2020. The 19-year-old is the current world U20 cross country and 3000m champion, has recently shown impressive form with a 26:56 clocking at a 10km road race in Herzogenaurach and should be tipped as one of the favourites. He will be joined by his fellow Ethiopian Nibret Melak, a 12:54.22 5000m performer this year.

They will face stiff opposition from the whole Atapuerca podium, as Eritrea’s Aron Kifle, Burundi’s Rodrigue Kwizera and Uganda’s Joel Ayeko will also be in contention. The latter’s compatriot Thomas Ayeko, Burundi’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo and Eritrea’s Yemane Hailesilassie should also rank in the top 10 on Sunday.

Spanish hopes rest on the European U23 cross country bronze medallist Abdessamad Oukhelfen. The 22-year-old has proven to be in fine form at this early stage of the season, with third and fifth-place finishes in San Sebastian and Atapuerca respectively. Watch out too for Carlos Mayo, who also made the top 10 in Atapuerca and will be aiming to match that feat here.

Eritrea’s Rahel Daniel Ghebreneyohannes managed an upset victory in Atapuerca last weekend, defeating a mighty Kenyan armada featuring Beatrice Chebet, Margaret Chelimo and Norah Jeruto who were second, third and fourth-place finishers respectively there following a tight and intriguing finish. The four of them will clash again over 7910m on Sunday and the battle for the win promises to be epic.

Reportedly, the unheralded Eritrean competed in Atapuerca wearing two right shoes, but despite that disadvantage she got the better of a world-class line-up and will be eager to prove her victory was no fluke.

Daniel’s top performance is a 14:55.56 5000m clocking from Hengelo last June, but she couldn’t advance to the final at the Tokyo Olympics. Meanwhile, the Kenyan triumvirate holds impressive backgrounds. While Chelimo is the reigning world 5000m silver medallist and defends her victory in Santiponce last year, Jeruto boasts the third fastest ever time in the 3000m steeplechase thanks to a 8:53.65 performance. As for Chebet, the 2018 world U20 5000m champion was runner-up behind Chelimo in 2020 and narrowly beat Chelimo and Jeruto in Atapuerca.

Another Kenyan, Eva Cherono, was eighth at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships and will make her second outing this autumn after a winning 19:17 clocking over four miles in Groningen last month.

To add more quality to Sunday’s field, organisers also announced the late addition of Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi. The 26-year-old came sixth at the Tokyo Olympics over 5000m and bettered her lifetime best for the distance to an impressive 14:15.24 this season. Teferi will be aiming to regain her 2017 win here and seems ready to do so after her 14:29 overwhelming victory and outright women's world 5km record of 14:29 in Herzogenaurach in September.

The most remarkable Europeans on show will be Turkey’s Yasemin Can and Italy’s Nadia Battocletti; the former having claimed four consecutive European cross country titles and the latter having finished just outside the top 10 in Atapuerca.

Previous winners in Santiponce include Kenenisa Bekele (2003, 2004 and 2007), Fernando Mamede (1984 and 1985), Paul Kipkoech (1987 and 1988), Paul Tergat (1998 and 1999), Moses Kipsiro (2008 and 2009), Leonard Komon (2010 and 2011), Linet Masai (2010 and 2012) and Paula Radcliffe (2001), among others.

Weather forecasters predict a rainy day and a temperature of 18ºC by the time of the event.